Three Years Later
by Pipz
Summary: Three years after the defeat of Lucemon, the lives of the DigiDestined have changed specially for the brothers Kouichi and Kouji. But with a new threat looming in the Digiworld, our heroes once again reunite. (err... mostly about the twins but the others are also included)
1. Chapter 1

Kouichi walked passed through familiar streets when he stops to marvel on the beautiful view of the setting sun in front of him. Wearing his school uniform and his bag hung on his shoulder, he was on his way home from his part time job. It has been more than three years since the DigiDestined defeated Lucemon, and in that span of time, many things have changed and will continue to.

Junpei has gone to a private high school and has little time on his hands to hang out with, let alone to reply to his messages. Tomoki also enjoys his middle school life, which Kouichi thinks is a good thing. Kouichi however, hardly hangs out with Tomoki recently, probably because of their locations and difference in time schedule. He gets to hang out with Izumi but since getting his part time job, they hang out less nowadays. Takuya since entering high school, though they exchange mails, they hardly meet too. His twin brother, Kouji is a different story of course. They talk to each other over the phone nearly every day besides exchanging mails. They also see each other as often as they could but recently, high school life gets in the way.

Kouichi takes his phone out of his pocket upon feeling a vibrating sensation. He taps his thumb on the screen and apparently, it's a message from Kouji.

''Dad would like to meet with you tomorrow at the Shibuya Café. I'll be there and my mom too. Will that be alright?''

Kouichi stared blankly at the message for a while before replying: ''I'll be there.''

Putting his phone back in his pocket and returning his gaze to the red orange sun, he thought about the biggest change in his life: His mother had died more than a week ago and was recently cremated. She had always been working hard for the two of them and she'd strain herself more than necessary. But his mother never asked for support from his dad and so he had decided to find a part time job upon entering high school to help out. Things did turn out better but his mother fell ill and then…

Kouichi tears up remembering how hard it had been for his mother. He's never liked his dad to be honest. He met him before because of Kouji's pestering and just went to meet him for his twin. He pretended nothing to be wrong but he knows that Kouji and his dad are aware of his true feelings inside. He also had been invited a few times over lunch and dinner but he surely doesn't have the best attendance. Last Christmas, he bailed out on a family dinner with the Minamoto's at the last minute, and he can hear the disappointment in his twin's voice over the phone. Though he isn't happy disappointing Kouji, he doesn't want to be there feeling greatly uncomfortable either. But with his mother now gone, and him being only fifteen, his dad probably wants to talk about guardianship and stuff. The last time he saw his dad was during his mother's funeral and he had not even talked to him. Despite his reluctance, Kouichi will have to go. He sighs, before continuing on his way.

* * *

 **This is my first fanfic and I'm still getting used with the formatting and everything. Appreciate your reviews. Xiao!**


	2. Chapter 2

The following day is a weekend and Kouichi's part time job starts at one in the afternoon. Today, he's supposed to meet his twin's family by lunch. He spent most hours in the morning cleaning the house, before taking a shower and cooking a meal for himself. By eleven, he puts on his sneakers, trousers, a red long sleeved inside shirt then topped with a white shirt. He puts on his cap, grabs his keys then goes to the train station.

After a short ride, he arrives at the café fifteen minutes early but surprisingly, he sees Kouji wave at him from one of the seats but his dad and mom are nowhere to be seen. Kouichi smiles back going to his twin.

''Mom and dad will be here in a bit,'' Kouji began as Kouichi nods while taking his seat. ''Since they decided to bring Ryu along.''

Kouichi simply blinked. Ryu Minamoto is apparently his and Kouji's step brother born two years ago. He'd seen him once and thought that it's nice to have a baby brother. But at the back of his mind, he's already expected that they won't be having the same bond he and Kouji have.

Kouji studies his twin's nonchalant reaction. Recently, he had felt a distance between him and Kouichi. Kouichi tries to hide it but Kouji could feel things aren't the same as they were that time they got out of the Digital world. He had always wondered since when did this dent between them happened, and Kouji thinks it probably began when Kouichi met their dad. Kouji knew Kouichi only went for his sake but he wanted to give his dad and his twin the chance to get to know each other, like how he and his birth mother did. The addition of Ryu in the Minamoto household seems to also have an effect on their relationship but Kouji can't say for certain. And now with them being in high school and the death of their birth mother, things became really different.

''How have you been?'' Kouji asks.

''Doing fine, I guess.'' Kouichi replies flashing a smile. Kouji smiles back and before he could say another word, he sees his father and mom with a sleeping Ryu in her arms, enter the café.

"Dad! Mom!" Kouji called out, while Kouichi quietly sits down, eyes cast down on the table. Kouji transfers to the seat next to Kouichi while the Minamoto's occupy the seats in front of them. They both greet Kouichi, but Kouichi can only manage a fake smile. Kouji glances at his twin aware of the sudden change in Kouichi's aura. Their dad called out the waitress for orders.

"Is there something you want?" their dad asks Kouichi.

"I'm not hungry," Kouichi replies sounding monotonous.

His dad exchange glances with his wife then with Kouji who obviously is not feeling comfortable.

"Well, since we're already here we should eat lunch," their dad said.

"I'm here to talk, not to eat lunch." Kouichi retorted. Silence passed their table in a quick bit before Ms. Minamoto breaks it with her order. Their dad also orders and the waitress awkwardly leaves the group.

"I know things have been difficult for you these past couple of days," his dad started.

"Do you?" Kouichi blurts out. The last thing he wants is to disappoint his twin brother yet again, but he just can't help it. This is a man who left his mom, abandoned them and didn't even show up when his grandmother died. "I'm grateful that you paid for the funeral expenses but don't start talking like you can sympathize with me."

Their dad didn't say anything but the look of shock is all over his face. Mrs. Minamoto looks worriedly at her husband. Noticing the growing uncomfortable tension, Kouji looks at his twin with pleading eyes to calm down. Even though without looking at Kouji beside him, Kouichi could tell that much. He crosses his arms and without batting an eye he asks his dad, "What do you want?"

"I know wasn't a good father to you but if you could give me the chance then I'll make it up to you," their father regains his composure. Kouichi still looks at him unmoved by the words.

"With your mother now gone, you should come live with us."

Kouichi shifts his eyes to Mrs. Minamoto and Ryu, then back to his dad. "No."

"Kouichi please," Kouji takes it upon himself to talk his brother out of it. "You know you can't just live here by yourself."

Kouichi knows. He's just fifteenth but, he'd rather live by himself or live in disgust with his dad and the woman he left his mom for. "Why not? All I need is a guardian and 'your' dad can be that person. My school is here. Many of my friends are here. My part time work is here. I cannot just leave this place."

"But—"

"You'll be my guardian but I'll stay here. That should be alright right?" Kouichi asks his father. His dad exchange glances with his wife yet again. He is against the idea but didn't want to right away force Kouichi into something the boy didn't want to do. He looks at Kouji who waits for an answer. With reluctance in his voice his dad said, "If that's what you want then we can do that arrangement."

"Dad!" Kouji looks disagreeing with his dad for quickly deciding to just let Kouichi do as he pleases. But at the back of his mind he understood why his dad agreed to do so. Moreover, his dad wants to give Kouichi time. But still…

"That settles it." Kouichi stands up, "I'll be leaving now, I have a part time job to attend to."

Kouji doesn't say anything but his eyes on his brother says, 'Wait were not done'. Kouichi in return looks back with determined eyes. Kouji understanding Kouichi isn't so willing to stay, made way for his brother despite his reluctance to do so.

"Kouji, don't follow me," Kouichi says as if knowing what Kouji will do. "There's nothing you will say that can change my mind." Kouichi didn't wait for Kouji's response and simply walked towards the door without looking back. Kouji, feeling disappointed and hurt, watched Kouichi leave the café.

"Kouji…" his mom says his name in a concerned tone while Kouji stays standing looking at the direction of the door. Soon, the waitress arrives bringing their orders. Little Ryu seems to have woken up, Kouji can hear the child's tiny cries. He turns around and looks at his dad who looks dejectedly back at him, then his mom smiling at Ryu. Clenching his fists, something tells him that if he doesn't talk to his brother, that invincible wall between them will just get bigger. And that's what Kouji had been avoiding all this time.

''Don't wait for me," he tells his dad and mom, before he starts running. "I'll be home before sundown!"

Kouji hears his dad call his name but he ignores him not looking back.


	3. Chapter 3

Guided by his instincts of which way Kouichi may have went to, Kouji quickly catches up to his twin at a park not far from the café.

"Kouichi!" he calls out, halting Kouichi on his way. Kouichi turns around to face his brother with eyes that says 'what is it? I told you I won't change my mind'.

Seemingly having read his brothers thought Kouji asks instead, "Why— why don't you give dad his chance to make it up to you?"

Kouichi knows he had disappointed Kouji again but the question surprised him. He had actually expected Kouji to follow him and convince him to live with his family. But instead of convincing him, Kouji asks about why he denies their father of his rights. Something Kouichi thought Kouji understands.

Kouichi crossed his arms, "He's had tons of chances all these years but he let those chances go to waste."

"He regrets that. That's why he's trying to make things right. But he won't even get the chance if you keep your door close to him," Kouji reasons.

Kouichi raise a brow, "And paying for our mother's funeral expenses and living with you guys makes up for everything? Don't make me laugh. Dad is one person, but don't expect me to live under one roof with 'your' mom."

Kouji's eyes widened in astonishment, "What— was that?"

"I know you love your mom but let me remind you that that man turned his back on 'us' for that woman," Kouichi paused trying his best not to spark an argument with his twin. If there's someone in the Minamoto household that he cares about its Kouji. He lets out a sigh, "I don't want to talk about it really. Not now."

Kouji doesn't say anything back. So it's not only their dad but also his 'mom'. It's not like he can blame Kouichi for thinking like that and he doesn't expect his twin to open up to them anytime soon. It took him a while himself to warm up to his 'mom'. But still… he also wants Kouichi to try.

"Kouichi, will you promise to try?"

"…what?"

"…to forgive dad and my mom."

Kouichi didn't answer right away studying Kouji as if searching for something behind those blue eyes. Then he finally nods, "Alright."

Though Kouji knows it'll take a while, Kouichi's promise lifted a weight off his chest. And with that, the days continue to pass by like that of falling sand. And like before, Kouji continues to talk to Kouichi over the phone, though there are times when Kouji's call goes to the voice mail. Kouji actually thought it's a little strange at first but Kouichi always calls back a few hours later, and this quickly becomes something normal.

Three weeks after their last meeting at the café, Kouji gets permission from his parents to hang out with Kouichi over the weekend. He gets off the train arriving earlier than he's expected but decides to just wait for his brother in his house, since he knows where Kouichi keeps the keys. But first, he drops by a cake shop, buying his and Kouichi's favourite dessert before walking to a neighbourhood he's become familiar with. Not even reaching the house he's visited many times, he sees a familiar figure turn around the corner of the street. Kouji speeds up and calls his brother's name when he turns the corner.

Kouichi turns around to that voice he's known so well. Kouji suddenly stops a few steps away, the smile on his face slowly disappears as he stares at his brother— his forehead and left cheek covered in some bandage. His right palm to his wrist is also covered in white bandage.

Thinking his brother may have been into some sort of a fight, Kouji asks sounding almost nervous, "What happened to you?"


	4. Chapter 4 : Haunted Building 1

Days after his weekend sleepover at his brother's, Kouji lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room. He knows his brother hides something from him when he lied about what happened to him. Kouichi said he fell off the stairs in their school— a very obvious lie Kouji thought, because if that were the case and he got hurt that bad, the school would've notified their father. But there is such no notification.

Though it's unlikely of his twin, Kouji thinks Kouichi has been in a fight but just pretended to believe in Kouichi's story, not pressing any further hoping that Kouichi would eventually tell him the truth. But he never got his answer. He grabbed his phone from his night stand then dial's his brother's number.

… _the number you're trying to reach is unavailable please_ — … Kouji press the cancel button. The voice mail again. He called yesterday and morning too but for some reason Kouichi hasn't answered back yet. This is the first time this happens but Kouji thinks Kouichi must be busy doing something's, and Kouji doesn't want to be a pestering brother. So he closes his eyes, drifting to sleep.

The next day, Kouji checked on his phone before heading to school. Still no call back or message from Kouichi, Kouji quickly puts his phone in his pocket. After a quick breakfast, he says goodbye to Ryu, then to his mom and leaves with his dad.

* * *

Kouichi feels pain from all over his sore body. His school load and work are already hard enough to balance but him constantly getting involved in fights recently is a new record. He sighs at himself thinking about that obvious lie he told his brother during the weekend. He knew Kouji is too smart to believe in that stupid story but he's glad Kouji didn't press the matter because he just won't tell the truth. Though a little help would be good since he's being ganged up a lot recently, he doesn't want Kouji in trouble or worse, returning to his home all beat up. He may despise their dad and Mrs. Minamoto but Kouichi knew they love Kouji. For Kouichi it's all the redeeming qualities those two have.

And today is no different, he expects himself to be in a fight sooner or later. He sighs again thinking what he's gotten himself into but strangely he's gotten used to it. He hears Kouji's voicemails, but that's all he does… listen. Looking out at the window, he closes his phone deciding not calling back again.

* * *

When the classes end, Kouji receives a call from Takuya telling to meet him outside an abandoned building near the outskirts of Shibuya. Kouji has heard of that abandoned building from his classmates. It is believed that a ghost live there scaring people away. Kouji thought Takuya's curiosity might have taken the best of him again. After Digiworld, Takuya has been into these kinds of things- ghost hunting or treasure hunting -which Kouji find silly but will join his friend anyway when he has time on his hands.

Kouji got on the train and mailed his parents about what time he'll be home, what he'll do and who he'll be with. Kouji recalls that the last time he joined Takuya was just a few months ago when they went to an abandoned elementary school near Takuya's middle school. It is said that there is a hidden sack of gold there but is guarded by something supernatural. Izumi was there too but in the end they found nothing but empty halls, spider webs and bugs. Izumi had been scared to death and sworn she'd never join them ever again. The memory put a smile on Kouji's face.

This time will be the same but Kouji enjoys the company of his DigiDestined friends. When he got off the train, he receives a mail from Takuya:

'Where are you?'

'I'm on my way.' Kouji replies.

'Okay cool, Tomoki is here too.'

Tomoki? Kouji smiles at the mail. He hasn't seen Tomoki in more than a year. He felt a little more excited and hurriedly went on his way.

'See you guys in a bit.'

Not close to the building but not far to see his friends talking to each other, Kouji runs to them. Tomoki waves at him with a beaming smile and an excited look on his eyes. Kouji finds himself surprised at how tall Tomoki had gotten. Well, they all grew taller but Tomoki at almost shoulder length is kind of a fresh sight. But on a not so surprising note, Takuya is well prepared sprinkling salt over their uniforms to ward off ghosts then hands them flashlights.

The three story building looks spooky enough on the outside. With the white paint wearing off, dark windows and molds all over it. Not to mention the wooden door is half open. The moment they enter the building to which the inside is darker than expected considering that the sun had not even set outside, Kouji feels his uniform slightly pulled. He looks to see Tomoki clinging to him.

"Hey, don't hide behind me," Kouji says in a whisper but annoyed tone.

"…it's dark in here," Tomoki says.

"Ha? Come on, be a man!"

"But I'm still a middle schooler!" Tomoki retorted.

"Lame, what kind of reasoning is that?"

Takuya couldn't help but laugh a little at his friends, "You kinda haven't changed a bit huh, Tomoki," he remarks earning a frown from Tomoki.

"Come on, let's go," Takuya waves his hand, signalling them to follow him. They walked around the place and the more they go deeper, the more it comes to the three that the building seems like an old house. There's a kitchen, bedrooms on the second floor and the third floor an empty space.

"Another bust huh," Takuya sighs, lighting the stairs as they descend from the third floor.

"What are we looking for anyway?" this time, Kouji sighs as Tomoki still follows behind them.

Takuya reaches the second floor corridor first, and suddenly hears a sound of a movement at the end of the corridor. Pointing his flashlight at the direction of the noise he asks, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kouji asks stepping on the last stair while Tomoki is quick to cling on to his uniform and Kouji is quick to give him a 'you-shouldn't-have-come' look. But Tomoki ignores him. Takuya signals them to stay where they are, while he slowly walk along the wooden corridor. He hears the noise yet again but this time in a nearby room that's slightly opened. Takuya pushes the door open and he is met with something petit, dark round eyes and furry white hair.

Takuya can't help but scream… and so does the creature.


	5. Chapter 5 : Haunted Building 2

"AHHHHH!" Takuya screams losing his balance, his butt landing on the floor.

"Takuya!" Kouji andTomoki shouts at the same time. Without hesitating, both run to him. Kouji reaches for Takuya's arm and was about to yank him up when he sees the creature inside the room, staring right back at them. Kouji suddenly stops and the silence that quickly followed prompts Tomoki, who stands behind Kouji, to move behind Takuya so to have a better view of the room. Recognizing the creature inside, his jaw drops, "Bokomon?!"

Bokomon gapes in surprise at the three, "Takuya-han, Kouji-han, Tomoki-han…"

"Wh-what are you doing here?!" Takuya asks in disbelief.

Kouji opens his mouth to speak but doesn't get to talk when Bokomon suddenly jumps at them, with Takuya catching the digimon. Bokomon's dark eyes sparkle, "It's nice to see you guys again! It's been a while."

"Bokomon, how'd you get here?" Kouji asks his question. "Is Neemon with you?"

"I'm by myself," Bokomon replies getting off Takuya. Now on his feet, Bokomon's face turns serious mixed with concern. "Good timing, I've come to ask for your help."

"Our help?" Tomoki repeats.

"The Digital world is in danger! Creepymon's evil men wreak havoc trying to revive him, and if we don't do anything, things will get worse. Please lend us your strength. "

"Of course we will!" Takuya exclaims without hesitation. And Bokomon smiles radiantly in response.

"Wait a minute Takuya," Kouji's voice sounds grating. How on earth could Takuya just accept without more details? He knows his friend mean well and it's not like he himself will deny Bokomon, but finding more about the situation is important. Kouji turns to Bokomon, "What's happening? First of all, how'd you get here?"

"Ah, right!" Bokomon takes out a round shaped grey pendant that's carved with circles and stars, from his haramaki. "It's called dimension ring. Ophanimon made it. With this, we can cross through dimensions, not only in the Digital world but even to here."

Tomoki looks impressed, "Unbelievable..."

"And what's the deal with the Digital world being in danger? Who the heck is this Creepymon?" Kouji continues asking.

"Well, after you defeated Lucemon, peace had lasted in the Digital world until another evil digimon, Creepymon, revived and brought chaos."

"I thought its Creepymon's minions that are causing havoc to revive him?" This time Takuya asks, looking puzzled. Before giving his answer, Bokomon looks at the three as if studying them.

"It seems a few years have only passed in this world, but in the Digital world, many years have already passed since you left."

"Many years?" The boys repeat in unison but Kouji doesn't look so surprised, comparing with the other two.

Bokomon nods, "Creepymon revived a few years ago, slowly turning digimon's to fallen ones so he can create a dark world."

"Fallen— then why didn't you ask for our help back then? Why now?" Kouji continues to press on, ignoring his other question of what exactly is a fallen digimon.

"Well… the unfallen digimon's united and fought Creepymon's dark army. Soon, a tough battle took place. The plan was to seal Creepymon in the Ember stone Seraphimon created and the stone is to be shattered then scattered across the Digital world so it will almost be impossible for Creepymon to revive again," Bokomon explains. "The fighting was fierce… and things didn't go smoothly but our leader—Rhihimon, managed to trap Creepymon in the Ember stone, but even he got caught up. Yet, he still was able to shatter the stone using what's left of his power. Then… the stone shards began flying to random directions…" Bokomon's voice slowly faded. With that last sentence, the boys sensed the digimon's sadness.

"So that's why you are asking for our help now because that Rhihimon is not with you," says Takuya.

Bokomon again nods, "Though we won that battle, the fight isn't over. Those remaining loyal to Creepymon started locating the shards and they'll do all sorts of bad things to find it all. We too, have been trying to locate Rhihimon's stone shards but as expected, it's difficult. It was Seraphimon who said, that it's easier to locate the shards using a digivice so I crossed here hoping to find humans who will help us but..."

"…you were mistaken for a ghost…" Tomoki finishes Bokomon's sentence, and the digimon can only sigh recalling how other humans had quickly run away upon seeing him.

"I see…" says Kouji then looks at Tomoki and Takuya, nodding at each other. Showing an assuring smile, Takuya says, "Be at ease Bokomon, we'll help you find Rhihimon's stone shards and stop the dark digimons."

Bokomon's downcast expression disappears, and he beams. He knew he could always rely on them. "Thank you Takuya-han, Kouji-han, Tomoki-han,"

Kouji pulls out his phone, "I'll inform the others."

Takuya agrees with a nod. "What about our digivice?" Tomoki asks.

"You should have them when you're there," Bokomon answers. He was about to say more but doesn't get to when Tomoki began expressing his excitement to Takuya over their return to the Digital world. A feeling, Takuya obviously shared. The thought of doing an adventure again with everyone, even Bokomon feels warm in his heart. He then decides to tell them more when they get to the Digital world. Meanwhile, Kouji has his phone next to his ear talking to Izumi. They briefly talk and from Kouji's smile, he got a positive response. Kouji dials Junpei's number next but this time, the warrior of light frowns talking to no one despite calling thrice. Then he tries Kouichi's number, but like with Junpei, he simply leaves a voice mail.

"What did they say?" Though Takuya have an idea what the answers are, he asks Kouji anyways when the latter puts his phone back in his pocket.

"Izumi will come. But Junpei and Kouichi aren't picking up." Kouji answers, the tone of his voice mixed with annoyance that Takuya is quick to pick up.

"What's the matter?" he asks. Tomoki and Bokomon turn their eyes to Kouji.

"Nothing." The dark haired boy quickly replies. Turning to the digimon, "Bokomon, how do we get back to the Digital world?"

"We can just use the portal I used to come here,"

"Say, if Junpei and Kouichi don't get here soon, can they still join us riding on a Trailmon, like we did before?" Tomoki slightly raised an eyebrow at the question and looks at Takuya who is intently listening to the exchange.

"Yes," Bokomon replies, "Though it'll take them a bit longer…"

Still not getting Kouji's point, Tomoki finally asks, "Kouji-nii chan, where you getting at?"

"I think we should go first…" says Kouji. "Even as we speak now, time passes by the Digital World. The fact that Bokomon even have to come here means things must be bad. We have to act as soon as we can and leave Jupei and my brother to Izumi."

Though Tomoki doesn't like the idea of the three of them going ahead, he knows that Kouji has a point. Seeing that Tomoki understands, Kouji looks at Takuya as if waiting for an approval. Takuya is the leader, like he was before, perhaps even now. And it seems to have become natural for Kouji to hear Takuya's opinion. Takuya is quite for a while as if contemplating, but soon stands up having come to a decision.

"Then let's do that," he says looking at the agreeing faces of Kouji, Tomoki and Bokomon. "Izumi is the right person to deal with those two. Bokomon, please lead the way."

The digimon nods, and then leads the three inside the room—to that portal behind an old and dusty bed. Their next adventure is about to begin.

* * *

 **Okay, I hope that wasn't confusing... (^.^)v**


	6. Chapter 6 : Moonbase

The entrance to the portal is a door of light but the inside, Kouji notes, is like a tunnel. The walls and ceiling appear to be grey while the floor is purely black, giving the impression that they may be walking on air. The limited space promts the group to walk in a single file with Bokomon at the front, followed by Takuya, Tomoki then Kouji. After walking for a few steps, another door of light is seen in the distance. Inching closer and closer, Kouji squints his eyes as he walks through the light.

Finding himself staring at a concrete floor, Kouji slowly opens his eyes as he raise his head. In front of him are Starmon's running around carrying piles of papers while the others sit in front of computers doing their thing. He turns to look behind him, wondering if the portal is still there. But not surprisingly, there's only a beige wall. And in the pocket where he'd put his phone, is something heavier. He takes the object out, recognizing his digivice and feels the digi spirit return to him.

"Is this the Moonbase?" Kouji hears Tomoki ask, looking in front again. Bokomon confirms, and the group spot Neemon approaching them.

"Hey guys, it's been a long time!" Neemon says with a smile on his face. "Bokomon, welcome back."

Tomoki grins, "It's been a while Neemon. I see you haven't changed one bit." unknowingly, the younger of the three also states what's in both Takuya and Kouji's minds. Neemon on the other hand takes the time to get use to the slight physical changes he sees on the three. They've gotten taller and their faces look somehow different. Different? It's probably because the three of them no longer wear their head pieces.

"Welcome back guys-hoshi," Superstarmon's greeting snaps Neemon out of his musings. "Why don't you rest for a bit-hoshi?"

"That's a great idea," agrees Bokomon. It had been a long day in the human world after all.

Superstarmon brings the group to the dining area where they are served with foods they missed: meat apples, those colorfully flavored cabbages and hamburgers. When they had their fill, the group is led to a room having four single beds. Tomoki jumps at the bed nearest to the wall, feeling the fluffiness of both the pillow and the bed. Takuya scans the brightly lighted room, walking at the same time towards the first bed. Kouji looks around, starting with the closet south of the bed Tomoki rests on. Inside are a couple of clothes— human clothes.

"The Starmons made them for the human's I'll bring here." Bokomon explains before Kouji could ask. "Why don't you try wearing them?"

Kouji couldn't agree more, he just remembered he's been wearing his school uniform. Both Takuya and Tomoki also go check the closet and they pick clothes for themselves. After changing their clothes, Kouji feels a lot comfortable wearing sneakers, midnight blue jogging pants, white shirt with black neckline, a dark blue zip up sweater, then puts on a black bandana. Takuya also wears sneakers, but opts for khaki shorts that's just a little below his knees, and a black shirt under a black short-sleeve jacket. Tomoki goes for black sneakers, sea green shorts and a long sleeved grey shirt with the sleeves colored black. Bokomon and Neemon looks pleased at the three. The boys look more like they were the first time they came to the Digital World.

Tomoki kicks off his shoes returning to his bed. A tiring day has taken it's toll, and Takuya can only smile at the youngest of their group instantly falling asleep. On top of a white table in the room, some papers caught his eyes. They're posters of two missing children, a boy and a girl. The girl— an American or British— name is Anna Brockwood, age 12. The other is an Asian boy named Mihn Nghia, also the same age.

"What's this?" Takuya asks. Kouji moves closer to see what's on Takuya's hands.

Neemon looks at Bokomon, "You didn't say anything about them?"

Obviously. Bokomon glares at Neemon for asking something with very clear answer; Neemon's sweat drops. Bokomon, though looking unsure of what he should say, turns to Takuya and Kouji.

"Before you got here there were... three other humans who helped us defeat Creepymon and his army of fallen digimons..." Bokomon starts, "Do you remember the first time you came here?"

Takuya nods crossing his arms across his chest, "We received a mail telling us to ride the train in Shibuya."

"You mean…!" Kouji trails off seeing that Bokomon is about to speak.

The digimon nods, "Yes. Ophanimon did the same thing, and that's how Anna and Mihn came to us. But things weren't getting any easier, and we needed more help so I crossed for the first time in your world and…" Bokomon hesitates.

"And what?" Takuya presses on.

"…and… I met... Kouichi-han there…"

"Wh—" Kouji gasp, his eyes open wide. Takuya looks at Kouji, shocked. Bokomon doesn't say anything else— or more like he's waiting for the two boys to say something. Neemon also does the same.

"Then…" Kouji mumbles quickly looking at the posters of Anna and Mihn. "…my brother, where is he? Is he missing too?"

Bokomon and Neemon exchange glances, how are they ever going to explain everything that's happened. Bokomon was able to give a gist of things back in the human world and now about Anna, Mihn and Kouichi he doesn't know what to say.

"He's not… exactly missing," surely he can start by answering Kouji's question.

"What do you mean? Is he here?" Takuya asks.

"No."

"Then where is he? What happened to him?" Kouji asks demandingly. Takuya understands Kouji's frustration. With Kouichi's allies Anna and Mihn missing; he too, hopes Bokomon and Neemon just spill out the beans before Kouji totally lose his temper.

Bokomon gulps then speaks in a low tone, "I…I mentioned to you about… Rhihimon in the human world didn't I?" Neemon looks down on the floor which Takuya notice. And while Bokomon seems to wait for any response, Takuya glance at a silent Kouji. Kouji's mood also seems to have changed but his dark blue eyes doesn't leave Bokomon.

"Yes," Takuya answers returning his gaze to Bokomon. "He was your leader that got trapped in that stone with Creepymon."

"Well… he..." Bokomon looks away, "...is actually Kouichi-han…" And there he said it. He managed to spill it out. But strangely, the two humans in front of them seem to show no reaction to that, except for the twitch on Kouji's clenched fists. Aren't they surprised or anything? Bokomon and Neemon can only exchange glances.

Takuya somehow expected that to be coming but hoped he was just over thinking. But why did he expect that? Takuya isn't exactly sure except that it's what his gut told him. But how on earth did that happen? What about those missing kids? Many questions whirl in Takuya's mind and he's sure that Kouji, if he's being himself, would be the one barraging Bokomon and Neemon with questions by now. But with Kouji's silence, Takuya thought it's better to talk more about it another day. But since they'll most likely be entering the Digital World the next day, there's just one thing he needs to know now.

"How many shards are we looking for? And how do we know it's not Creepymon's shard that we found?"

"There are sixteen shards. Eight for Creepymon and eight for Rhihi— I mean, Kouichi-han. We've already found three, so we only need to look for five…" Bokomon replies. "We can distinguish the shards by its colors: Creepymon's are crimson while Kouichi-han's are amber in color."

Satisfied with the digimon's answer, Takuya calls it a day. Bokomon and Neemon agree then leave the room. After the digimon's left, Takuya watch Kouji walk to one of the beds and lay down, still not saying a word. Opting to leave his friend for now, Takuya then lay down on his own bed, not realizing how tired he was. He takes his digivice out of his pocket and stared at it. He never thought he'd be returning to the Digital world, let alone be reunited with his digi spirit. A smile graces his face just before he puts his digivice on the nightstand. He pulls up the blanket and allows himself to get to sleep.

* * *

 **Okay, so Rhihimon is the fusion evolution of Kouichi's digi spirit. It was never shown in the anime so I thought it would be nice to put it here. :)**


	7. Chapter 7 : The TV Forest 1

" _Kouichi? What time are you gonna be here?" Kouji asks looking at the cake that's topped with candy canes. His father sits across the table playing with Ryu while his mom is on the kitchen checking on the side dishes._

" _I won't be able to make it,"_

" _What?" Kouji stood up, his father's eyes follow him run out the door. "Why? Did something happen?"_

 _There was a pause at the other end of the phone, but Kouji waits for his twin's answer. "Nothing."_

 _What the- What does he mean nothing? He's not coming for no reason? Any lie would've been better. "Look, it's not only me who's been looking forward to this but my mom, our dad and Ryu too. Since you're suddenly not coming then give an acceptable reason!"_

 _A longer pause._

" _Fine. Do what you want," Kouji said in a low tone. "Merry Christmas."_

* * *

" _What happened to you?"_

" _Hmm? I fell down the stairs of my school this morning."_

 _Kouji raised a brow, "Really?"_

" _Yeah."_

" _You should be more careful then."_

" _I will."_

* * *

 _You never tell me anything._

Kouji slowly opens his eyes. "Or maybe… I just…" he whispers to no one. His eyes stare at the ceiling for a moment before looking left and right, finding both Tomoki and Takuya gone from their beds. Pulling himself up to a sitting position, he figured he must've overslept. He puts on his sneakers and jogs to the door when he stops to look at that table where Takuya found those posters. They're gone.

Last night, even before Bokomon told them Kouichi is Rhihimon, from the way the conversation had been going and how hesitant Bokomon was, he seemed to have figured it out. But even so, he wanted to hear it anyways. But then…how did that happen? From Bokomon's story all those events happened _years ago_ , so Kouichi must've gone to the Digital world for some time. Yet, Kouji just spent the weekend with him in the human world and had spoken to him over the phone days after. How did he…! A realization suddenly hit Kouji. Could he have used the same tool Bokomon used to cross to the human world? Then could it be that Kouichi's wounds that time… Kouji shakes his head. It can't be. When they left the Digital World after defeating Lucemon, they've returned with their wounds healed. There must be another explanation to that.

His thoughts wandered off again to the previous night. There were questions he wanted to ask but it was more like those questions are better asked to no other than his twin and not Bokomon or Neemon. Five shards… five more and Kouichi would be released from the stone. Kouji presses the open button and the door slides open. He takes a step forward but again stops, looking at the table once more. What about those other two who were with Kouichi? He wanted to ask about them too but completely forgot about it when Kouichi was brought up to the discussion. Shaking his head and a little tired of thinking, Kouji steps out of the room and made his way to the control room.

Despite the many Starmons running around, it didn't take long for Kouji to spot Takuya and the others staring over something down the floor while talking to Superstarmon. Tomoki spots him, waves his hand and Kouji goes to join the group. As he make himself comfortable standing between Takuya and Bokomon, his digivice glows and notice that Takuya's and Tomoki's are also glowing. On the floor is a hologram map of the Digital world, and on some areas, a red "x" mark can be seen.

"What are those markers?" Kouji asks.

"Those indicate the location of the shards-hoshi," replied Superstarmon. "With the help of your digivices, the location of the shards should be easier to locate."

"Kouichi-sans digivice may be connecting with ours," says Tomoki with enthusiasm in his eyes.

"Y-yeah," Kouji mumbles. Why is he so enthusiastic all of a sudden? Anyways, Takuya, Bokomon and Neemon must've told Tomoki about what they have talked about last night. Kouji feels relieved… maybe because he's not the one who has to do the retelling. Kouji's attention returns to Superstarmon who informs the group of the shards locations: The TV Forest, Fortuneteller Village, Steel Town, Forest of the Continent of Darkness and the Trailmon Graveyard.

"Are we going to ride on Trailmon going to these areas?" Takuya asks Bokomon.

"No. We'll get to those places faster with the dimension ring," answers Bokomon. Takuya hides his disappointment, wanting to ride on the Trailmons again. But he understands that the priority now is to find the shards at the fastest possible time. And with that, their meeting has concluded. The group makes their final preparations and when they're ready to leave, they return to the control room, to that wall where the portal was. Bokomon swings the Dimension Ring to the wall and when the ring makes contact with the wall, Bokomon says their first destination : "The TV Forest".

With that, a door of light begin to appear on the wall. The group waves goodbye to Superstarmon and the Starmons sending them off. They enter the portal and it now seems to be a very familiar place to be in. In just a short time, the groups steps out of a tree to a spacious grassy area. Kouji scans the place. The lush trees, the grasses, the scent of musky wood, all remind him of the first time they came there. Instead of feeling alert for any possible adversary, Kouji strangely feels comfortable in the area. He brings out his digivice feeling it to be warm in his pocket. At the same time, Takuya and Tomoki bring theirs out too. The screen of the digivices glow and a thin beam of light appears in a straight line as if showing which way the group should go.

"It must be the shard!" says Bokomon.

Takuya looks over his shoulder at Kouji and Tomoki, his eyes asking 'Should we follow it?' Kouji and Tomoki both nod. Takuya then leads the way following the beam of light deep into the forest. Having walked for goodness how long in the thick forest, the nearly exhausted group finally sees the end of the beam in a tree hole. The group, a few feet away can see something small, amber in color, and shining so brightly in the hole.

"That's it!" Bokomon and Neemon exclaims at the same time, with Bokomon pointing at where the shard is. That's more than enough confirmation for the other three before making their way.

"It's pretty…" Tomoki remarks as they near the stone.

"It is," Takuya agrees stopping in front of the hole but not reaching for the stone right away. He studies the stone for a bit while thinking how easy it has been finding one, not to mention there seems to be no presence of an enemy nearby. He thinks it's strange but nonetheless, saves them a great deal of effort and time. Takuya reaches for the stone, taking it out of the tree. The corners of his mouth turned up, then quickly turns around excited to show Bokomon and Neemon. But his smile quickly fades when a sharp pain in his gut, like some huge sword stabbed him, causes him to fall to his knees. He feels his insides are being ripped apart and he feels dizzy. He bends coughing, his forehead touching the ground while a hand hold on his stomach. What's happening? Even his friend's voices have become faint, so much so he's unable to understand what they're saying. He grit his teeth as he focuses on his stomach checking for any sign that he's hurt: a stab wound or blood, but to his confusion there's nothing there. He shut his eyes.

What on earth is going on?


	8. Chapter 8 : The TV Forest 2

The group decides to camp for the night, to let their strength be restored and Takuya to rest. Kouji and Bokomon went to get wood while Neemon and Tomoki get a couple of meat apples. After gathering enough wood, Kouji and Bokomon returns to where they left Takuya, and finds that Neemon and Tomoki are already there. Tomoki sits next to Takuya who still feels sick. The pain in his stomach slowly disappears but he's vomited at least twice.

Just a while back, Takuya had been in some sort of scorching pain but when he tosses the stone from his hands to the ground, the pain lessened. And to add to his confusion, when Tomoki picked up the shard, Tomoki looked fine, and even Kouji who held it on his palm had been fine. What happened? Not even Bokomon can explain. Takuya wants to make sure it was caused by the shard but he isn't so willing yet to be subjected to such excruciating pain yet again. Thankfully, he's able to eat five meat apples without throwing up. He lay down on his back when he's finished, and despite the cool earth, the nearby fire actually keeps him warm.

On the other hand, Kouji and the others sit by the fire, enjoying a warmer feel. The soft hush of the trees and grasses are only heard until Tomoki speaks.

"Hey, do you think Izumi-san and Junpei-san will know where we are?"

Good question. Kouji doesn't take his eyes of the fire but waits for the digimons to answer.

"Don't worry," Bokomon assures, "Ophanimon and Seraphimon will lead them to us."

"I see…" Tomoki trails off. That's a relief; at the very least they know they'd meet them on one of their destinations. He yawns.

"Why don't you get some sleep? I'll watch over the fire," Kouji tells him. Tomoki lazily nods and goes to lie down next to Takuya. Takuya can't help but chuckle at how quickly Tomoki's falling asleep. Maybe even in the human world, Tomoki doesn't sleep late. He pulls himself up and joins Kouji, Bokomon and Neemon by the fire.

"Are you feeling better?" Neemon asks.

"Yeah. Thanks for your concern," Takuya replies.

"But what exactly happened to you?" asks Bokomon taking the shard out of his haramaki.

"Didn't you just imagine it?" Kouji asks sounding sarcastic.

Takuya's eyes narrowed but knows Kouji's just teasing, "And I told that I didn't." Takuya gazes at the shining object on Bokomon's hand. What really was that?

"I don't know…" he whispers touching his stomach. "But, I'm not touching that stone again!" he exclaims. Kouji chuckles, he doesn't have anything to say to that but is relieved Takuya is feeling better. Just then, the tree trunks begin glowing reminding Takuya and Kouji again why the place is called "TV Forest".

On one of the tree screens, Anna and Mihn are shown to put a suspicious powder on someone's cup. Both were giggling much, and after Anna stirred the cup, Kouichi arrives. Anna and Mihn put on poker faces and Kouichi speaks to them. As Kouichi drank the beverage, his face turned red. Anna and Mihn laughed at him. Kouichi's face hardened but not for long, for he too soon laughed.

They look happy. They were happy… and he's laughing. A laugh he hadn't seen since their birth mother died. Kouji has been caught up in his musing he didn't even notice Bokomon and Neemon had moved up close to the trunk. Even when the screens disappear both stand there as if mesmerized. Kouji and Takuya looks at each other as if deciding who should say something.

"What happened to them?" Takuya took the words out of Kouji's mouth. Bokomon and Neemon continue to stand there like they heard nothing. Nonetheless, Takuya and Kouji patiently wait for their response. Both return their gazes to the fire, and the digimons soon re-join them. With the pained look on both their faces, nobody said another word.

Glancing over at the digimons, Takuya speaks in a soft tone, "Looks like they're having fun..."

Bokomon nods, managing a soft smile.

"What were they talking about?" this time Kouji asks. The trees obviously don't have speakers so he can only guess what the memory was about.

"It happened after the battle at the Area of Ice. Anna-han and Mihn-han wanted to remove that serious face on Kouichi-han so they took the hot-hot powder from Starmon's kitchen. Kouichi –han enters congratulating the two for a job well done and they congratulate him back…" Bokomon trails off cracking up a little. Even Neemon puts on a smile on his face.

"Kouichi was really embarrassed, but he handled that prank well," Neemon adds. Takuya and Kouji smile seeing their digimon friends finally smiling.

"There's just the three of them but they were strong… and so many followed them,"

"We should look for them too," says Takuya not letting his eyes leave the fire.

Bokomon's eyes glisten, "That... would be nice..."

"Then lets do..." Kouji trails off as he looks at the white digimon.

Takuya too, looks over at Bokomon and Neemon. What's this? his eyes widen at Bokomon, tears running down his cheeks. Not only Bokomon, but something round and shiny suddenly forms at the corners of Neemon's eyes.

"That would be nice..." Bokomon repeats. Are they that overjoyed? They must've really miss those three. Takuya gives a gentle smile, as if assuring that they'll find those two. It would also be nice to know Anna and Mihn, specially for Tomoki.

Bokomon wipes his tears, "... except that we don't have to find them..."

Takuya's smile fades, "What do you mean?"

"You know where they are?" Kouji asks simultaneously.

"They're at the Red Moon..."

The Red Moon? Wasn't that destroyed by Lucemon? But thinking back now, Kouji does remember seeing the Red moon from their room window in the Moonbase. Ophanimon and Seraphimon must've restored it sometime ago.

"Sleeping..." Neemon continues, sadness evident on his features. "And will never wake up..."


	9. Chapter 9 : Fortuneteller Village 1

Kouji and Tomoki walk the lively streets of Fortuneteller Village. The village has grown twice as big than the village they remember thus, Kouji frowning as he looks left and right for that illusive shard. Yesterday, they easily found a shard, but today turns out to be the opposite. When they arrived an hour ago inside a vacant tent in the village from the TV Forest, the first thing he, Tomoki and Takuya did was to take their digivices out. Strangely, their digivices didn't show them the location of the shard like before, let alone glow. Even when they stepped out of the tent, the screen of their digivices remained blank. Takuya thought there must be a mistake in the location but Bokomon insisted that Superstarmon's couldn't have given the wrong information. And that's how they got to where they are, divided in two groups, checking out every stall. Those fake fortunetellers are not helping at all even, showing any cheap glowing stone they could bring out or telling them about their fortune. When a quack starts rollin' Kouji walks off leaving Tomoki to deal with the fortuneteller, giving the younger boy much distress.

When Tomoki's just done talking with another quack, he catches Kouji staring far to that huge structure where they'd met Shamanmon before. Bokomon suggested they search there last because that place isn't the same place that it used to be. Thinking of Bokomon, Kouji's mind wandered off to the conversation last night. Of course, Tomoki had no knowledge of it. Not that it's a secret but, Bokomon or Neemon didn't give anymore detail after that and neither him nor Takuya is willing to press on seeing how upset their two digimon friends were. But... what did they mean when they said Anna and Mihn will never wake up? Does it have something to do with Kouichi getting trapped in the Ember stone?

Tomoki can't help but lift an eyebrow seeing Kouji sigh and obviously not paying attention to anything Tomoki just said. "What's wrong Kouji-nii chan?" Tomoki asks again, this time getting Kouji's attention. Kouji clearly sees the look of annoyance on Tomoki's face, whether it be from having him deal with those quacks or probably from having missed something Tomoki said while he's in deep thought. Kouji scratches his head then places both hands in his pockets.

"Let's go over there," he tells Tomoki.

"But Bokomon said-"

"What we're looking for might be there," Kouji interrupts. "Let's go."

Tomoki doesn't bother to complain. Kouji spoke as if Tomoki's got no choice, though he won't deny he's also curious what became of that structure. Tomoki follows Kouji up the hill until they reach a flight of stairs. Though they're still at the bottom stair, both could see a group of digimon's at the other end musing about something. When they reach the top, both find themselves surprised at the sight of even larger number of digimon's, all lined up seemingly waiting to enter a huge metal gate. Moreover, loud cheers inside the structure can also be heard outside.

"Excuse me," Kouji asks a digimon at the end of the line, "What's the going on here?"

The digimon, a Leomon, turns around. "Oh Humans! Welcome!" there's something in his enthusiasm that make Tomoki and Kouji smile, "The regular tournament of digimons' is being held inside. Turns out the prize is extra special this time, thus the large number of participants."

"Extra special?" Tomoki and Kouji glance at each other.

"So... do you have any idea what it is?" Tomoki asks Leomon.

"hmm," Leomon crossed his arms, his eyes closed as if thinking. He soon opens them and said, "I heard it's the artifact that has the power to ward off the dark digimons. It's what kept our village safe too. So it's really special!"

"I see..." Kouji looks at Tomoki. "Excuse us for a bit alright?" he tells Leomon, and pulled Tomoki not far from the line. "What do you think?"

"I think it's the shard!" Tomoki said, his eyes beaming.

Kouji nods, "I think so too. But... if it's really what protects this village, isn't it odd that they're just giving it as some reward?"

"Well... it is strange, but maybe they no longer need it?" Tomoki answers, though it's very unlikely. "But in any case, we need that shard right?"

Kouji nods. He too, knows that. Its just that it or something doesn't feel right. He goes back to Leomon.

"What kind of tournament is it? How do we join?" Kouji asks.

"It's supposed to be a single elimination tournament— just knock your opponents every round 'til you reach the last round. But today is a bit different. The tournament already got a champion, and so all we gotta do as challengers is to beat him up!" Leomon explains. "Any digimon can be a challenger but you're human guests, you can't join in a digimon fight. It's better to sit back and watch."

"I see... I suppose that's what we'll do," says Kouji. When Leomon turns around, Kouji signals Tomoki to follow him. They went on to a corner, tried making contact with Takuya using their digivice but there's no response on Takuya's end. What on earth is he doing, that guy?! Kouji can only wonder while the gate finally opens. He evolves into Lobomon and Tomoki to Kumamon before joining in the line of the digimon's entering the building.

* * *

Takuya roams around the village, looking front, left and right. This shouldn't even be a village anymore, Takuya thought, starting to get a bit irate over how large the village has become and how long it's taking them to look for the amber glowing stone.

"Ahhh!" Takuya shouts surprising the two digimon's with him.

"Wh-what's the matter Takuya-han?" Bokomon asks.

"That's it! We are done here. Let's head over there instead!" Takuya points at the largest structure in town.

"I told you that place isn't the same as you remember it," Bokomon says.

"Besides, we haven't seen the area enough. The shard maybe anywhere," adds Neemon.

"We've been looking for a while now and only found nothing but fake fortune tellers!" Takuya protests.

Bokomon and Neemon have nothing to say to that. It is the truth. Every store, they've been met with those digimon's only interested in making money out of them. But they can't give up now, there's no telling where the shard could be since Takuya and he others digivices aren't cooperating.

"But we g—" Bokomon is suddenly cut off by a strange laughter not far from them.

"Not all is a quack in here human," says a digimon, approaching the three. The colorful tribal mask he wore on his face and his boomerang reminds Takuya they'd seen the digimon before.

Takuya leans closer to Bokomon and whispers, "This digimon... we've met his kind before right? What's he called again?"

"It's Sepikmon!" the digimon exclaims, surprising Takuya. He points a finger at the human, "And you are going to face great trials ahead!"

Takuya's sweat drops. What the? that's the same fortune I was told the last time I came here, he thought. "Erm... I wonder what kind of trials are they?"

Sepikmon laughs again, this time creepier than before. "I advice you to return to the human world or wherever you came from while you can. If you don't want to end up doomed like those three!"

"Those three?"

"Many years ago, three other humans came here. They were called out by the Celestial digimons to protect our world from that menacing digimon. I actually liked them as a matter of fact and so I warned them of their then impending doom. But they didn't believe... they didn't listen... and so their fates were sealed."

Takuya felt the hair at the back of his neck stand. It's now clear who the digimon is talking about, but the way Sepikmon said the word 'doom' is the eeriest Takuya has heard in his entire life. It gets him thinking about the 'trio'. What did happen to them? They know that Kouichi is trapped in the stone while Anna and Mihn are cursed to sleep forever in the red moon; but the circumstances that have led to their current state is something Bokomon or Neemon is yet to tell. Somehow it scared Takuya a little but they can't just leave them behind either.

"We can't go back yet," says Takuya with an assuring smile. "We've got to rescue them from the 'doom' they're in."

Sepikmon shot a glare at Takuya, "You do not understand anything now do you human? Their fates can no longer be changed," he paused turning around and walking away. "I suggest you get off your high horse human. It's that attitude of yours that will link your fate with theirs and lead you to your own misfortune..."

* * *

 **Sorry took so long. But here it is! hope you enjoy! :)  
**


	10. Chapter 10 : Fortuneteller Village 2

Behind the metal gates is an empty, rectangular lobby, wide enough to fit hundreds of digimons. Beside the eastern and western walls are stairways going underground, and at the northern wall are four short corridors that all lead to a battle arena. Half the size of a football stadium and no roof, flights of bleachers packed with wildly cheering digimon's, surround a circular concrete at the middle. Lobomon heard a digimon call it " _ring_ ", and on that stands a digimon seemingly waiting for his opponent.

They are quite far from the ring and Lobomon can only see the back of that digimon, but finds his dark feature, almost like a shadow strange. "Who's that?" Lobomon asks Leomon, speaking loud. _  
_

"That's ShadowWereGarurumon, he's a dark digimon and the challenger," Leomon replies, glancing behind Lobomon.

"Dark digimon?"

"You know... digimon's tainted by something evil," Leomon explains. "Hmm? I've never seen you around. You new here?" he asks.

"I am. I'm Lobomon , and this here is Kumamon," Lobomon responds, speaking normally this time as the cheers slowly turn into chatters. Kumamon waves a hand.

Leomon beams, "Oh! Pleased to make your acquaintance!" he says then glance behind Lobomon again.

Kumamon notices Leomon's flickering gaze and asks, "What's the matter? Are you... looking for something?"

"Well, I've spoken to two humans earlier you see. They've come to watch but they suddenly disappeared. Perhaps you've seen them?"

Lobomon and Kumamon looks at each other as if agreeing to not saying a word to Leomon. "No... Maybe they've gone somewhere...?" says Kumamon.

"You think?"

"So.. if he's tainted by something evil, shouldn't the others be concerned?" Lobomon asks changing the subject.

Leomon shrugs, "So long as they don't become _fallen_ , dark digimon's are welcome in this village. But I suppose that artifact protecting our town keeps them from becoming _fallen._ "

 _Fallen Digimon?_ Bokomon had mentioned something about them being Creepymon's henchmen, Kouji recalls.

A wave of wilder cheers resound in the arena as another digimon heads to the ring. "That's the champion!" says Leomon with a hint of excitement, before Lobomon or Kumamon could ask. Kouji finds himself surprised with the champion being a female, but may justify her seemingly larger following. _She looks fierce_ , Kouji observes. Not taking his eyes of the digimon as she steps up on the mounded ring and waves to the crowd, recognition dawns on his face. That light-blue hair that forms like bird wings, a pair of wings on her back, beautiful features... Lobomon leans down to Kumamon. "H-hey... isn't that..."

Kumamon nods, the look of disbelief evident on his pale face. "Y-yeah. I-it's Zephyrmon..."

 _Zephyrmon_. Lobomon stands up straight to observe the female digimon again. _Izumi...? But how'd she get here so fast? Could it be someone else?_ Lobomon scans the crowd just when the match is announced to start, hoping to find Junpei but soon feels overwhelmed by the large number of onlookers. ShadowWereGarurumon and Zephyrmon don't start launching their attacks on one another. They just stand facing each other and talking, like taunting the other. In a quick second, ShadowWereGarurumon charges at Zephyrmon who is quick to evade the dark digimon's deathly claws with a swift jump. Landing behind ShadowWereGarurumon, Zephyrmon counters with her _Plasma Paws_ but the attack gets blocked. The dark digimon then goes for a swift kick and Zephyrmon nearly received full impact had she not moved back on time.

"She's impressive no?" Leomon comments. "So you're just here to watch or be challengers?"

 _Huh?_ "Well... Yeah," answers Lobomon sounding unsure. The dark digimon charges at Zephyrmon once more, but in a quick move of again, evade then counter, the wind digimon successfully lands a strong hit on her opponent.

"Then I suggest you head to that panel down there," Leomon points at the panel of three digimons seating in front of a table close to the bottom bleachers. One of them being Shamanmon. "All you have to do is tell them you're challengers and you will be one. You should go now, by sundown the tournament will be over."

Kumamon looks at the sun and realizes it's nearly sundown. He didn't think waiting on that long line would take a long time. He turns to Lobomon, "What do we do? Fight her?"

Lobomon thinks for a moment as the audience once again cheer for Zephyrmon who just knocked her opponent down using her technique: _Wind of Pain_. It'll be great if it's Izumi but... Lobomon scans the crowd once more but can't find Junpei. Still... the Digi Spirits are supposed to be unique to them right? "No." he finally answers.

"She is strong," Leomon comments while Zephyrmon is declared winner. "Maximizing that speed combined with some wicked attacks, even I decided just now to no longer be a challenger," the digimon shrugs.

Lobomon forces a smile. He couldn't clearly remember how Izumi used to fight in her digi beast form, but indeed, she is strong. Zephyrmon has one more challenger whom she successfully defeats by sundown. When Zephyrmon leaves the ring, both Lobomon and Kumamon also move. Leomon had told them that the building has only one exit, and so Lobomon and Kumamon heads back to the entrance to wait for Zephyrmon.

* * *

Takuya tries to make contact with Kouji and Tomoki with his digivice but he's getting no response since awhile ago. What on earth? The sun is about to set but the two of them are not yet in their supposed meeting place. Bokomon and Neemon are beginning to get concerned too. _Seriously what are those two doing?_ Takuya kicks a stone on the dusty ground. He set his eyes on that building where Shamanmon used to live and is reminded of what Sepikmon had said earlier on.

 _I advice you to return to the human world or wherever you came from while you can. If you don't want to end up doomed like those three!_  
 _Their fates can no longer be changed. It's that attitude of yours that will link your fate with theirs and lead you to your own misfortune..._

When Sepikmon said those words, an eerie feeling crept in Takuya— so eerie it sent shivers down his spine. Why'd he feel that way? That fortune isn't something new— a little different maybe but just a tad bit. He had faced many opponents and dangers too in the past, and he with his friends came out triumphant no matter how difficult things had been. He'd returned to the human world stronger and fearless, like he can overcome anything. But why does that fortune suddenly bother him? They haven't even faced any enemies or real danger yet, it makes very little sense. He slowly shifts his gaze to one of the remaining open stalls, it's shopkeeper happily talking to a customer.

 _Ah! the poor guy must believe that fortuneteller_. Takuya stares long and hard. Huh? A human? he rubs his eyes thinking he's imaging things. He looks again, this time surprised at what he is seeing, who he is seeing. J-Junpei? He's been expecting to see him but not so soon.

"Junpei!" he calls out, scanning the streets at the same time for Izumi. Bokomon and Neemon goes to Takuya's side to have a look, while Junpei looks around for the voice that called him. It doesn't take long before he gets the surprise of seeing Takuya, Bokomon and Neemon.

"Ta-Takuya! Bokomon! Neemon!" Junpei exclaims and goes to them. It has already been a year since Takuya's seen Junpei, and Junpei has lost just a little more weight than the last. He's also taller now, but still sports a black short sleeve jumpsuit. Bokomon and Neemon are happy to see him again.

"I didn't think I'd see you here!" Junpei exclaims.

"Man, that's my line!" Takuya claims. "Is Izumi with you?" he asks right away, wanting to save the _'how are you's'_ for later.

"She was. But I'm actually on my way to meet her now."

"Where?" Bokomon asks.

Junpei points at Shamanmon's old home. "Over there. Come on!"

"So, where are Kouji and Tomoki?" Junpei asks as they go on their way. Unknown to them, a digimon watches on a roof. A joker in a colorful outfit. He grins and his sharp eyes set on them like targets, following their every move.

* * *

In an old underground corridor of the arena, Shamanmon hands Zephyrmon a small box likened to that of a pirate treasure chest. It's the reward for staying victorious above all others after an entire day of fighting. She opens the box, surprised yet a little awed at the same time at what's inside.

"This is... what protected this village for years?"

"That... was a lie to attract more participants," Shamanmon reveals.

"More participants? Why?"

"The 'participants' I've wanted to call out are outsiders like you. No... I've been waiting for you to come." Shamanmon answers. "That stone you hold on your hand has brought forth misfortune to my people. It was never mine to keep but for someone who can keep it from the hands of the _fallen_."

 _The fallen_. She thinks of ShadowWereGarurumon and the possibility of him turning into a fallen... She stares at her prize once again, it isn't exactly what she's looking for but she can't help but be mesmerized by the crimson light that shines beautifully. She then wonders, _How can something so beautiful, bring misfortune?_

* * *

 **Erm, Until next time! :)  
**


	11. Chapter 11 : Fortuneteller Village 3

Takuya, Bokomon and Neemon follow Junpei to a narrow path deviating from the road leading to the structure's main entrance. The path Junpei followed is a path not even Bokomon or Neemon know of, and they ended up at the back of the large structure. There, a long flight of stairs rise up to a door.

"Junpei-han, you seem to know your way around here," Bokomon comments as they start walking up the stairs. Takuya's about to say the same had Bokomon not spoken first.

Junpei nods, "Quite. That shopkeeper I was talking to a while back was kind enough to show Izumi-chan and I around when we arrived here."

 _Ah... so Junpei was thanking that shop owner then_ , Takuya figures. "So when and how did you get here?"

"We took a trailmon from that same place in Shibuya. It seems it's what Kouji told Izumi-chan," Junpei paused as he catch his breath. "Seraphimon navigated us from there on via our digivice. He said you are currently locating some amber colored shards and that one of those could be in this village. So we had Trailmon drop us here... probably the afternoon of yesterday," he continued.

"I see..." Takuya doesn't say more as they near that door. He thinks he'll run out of breath the more he talks.

"But man, this place has changed so much huh," says Junpei. "Izumi-chan and I even got nearly lost..."

Takuya smiles at that. Without Bokomon and Neemon, surely they would've gotten lost too. When they reached the top stair, Takuya then catches his breath feeling like he's gone on some hard workout. Junpei too is breathing heavily, and as he reached for that metal doorknob he said, "But Kouichi isn't with us..."

 _Huh? What?_ Takuya can't help but be puzzled. He exchange glances with their digimon friends.

"He wasn't in his house you see. And he wasn't answering our calls either..." he turns on the knob opening the door. "But don't worry! Izumi left him with a bunch of messages. He should be fine coming here on his own."

"Seraphimon... erm, he didn't mention anything else but the amber shards?" Takuya asks, entering the building. Junpei closes the door once the digimon's are also inside.

"Well... he mentioned about Creepymon and his 'creepers' but all others, you guys will have to tell us," Junpei replies. "This way..." he gestures for his friends to follow him.

 _What?_ At the corner of his eyes, Takuya notices Bokomon and Neemon looking at each other. It's quite the story so far afterall, but he doesn't really feel comfortable making Bokomon or Neemon talk about what happened in the past if they don't really feel like talking. Even Kouji doesn't force them to talk... well except that one time at the Moonbase. Thinking about Kouji, he and Tomoki still aren't making any contact.

Junpei leads the group inside a narrow corridor dimly lighted by torches. Takuya wonders how far the corridor goes because all the while that they've been walking he only sees torches at a distance. But before he gets his answer, Junpei finally stops in front of another metal door, opens it and they enter.

"Takuya!" an ecstatic Izumi runs to him and gives a hug. Her blond hair now extends to her lower back, and she's a bit taller, prettier too. Takuya blushes at the gesture, "Y-yo, Izumi."

Izumi hugs Bokomon and Neemon too while saying something in Italian and rubbing her cheeks on theirs. The digimon's hug Izumi back, happy to see her again. Shamanmon is also there, not the Shamanmon they've met long ago but Takuya feels a sense of nostalgia from the digimon. Izumi starts looking for the other two, and Takuya starts explaining the situation. Not only that Kouji and Tomoki hadn't showed up at the place where they agreed to meet but all others too that he knows so far. About that time they met Bokomon in the haunted house, that battle of years past, and about Kouichi, Anna and Mihn. All the while he talked, Bokomon and Neemon had not said a word.

The shocked expression on Junpei and Izumi's faces were just like Tomoki's when Takuya had told him. Eyes wide open and speechless. Silence surrounds the room for a moment until Izumi speaks again.

"Anna Brockwood..."

Neemon looks up at Izumi, "Izumi, you know Anna?"

"No. But her name sounds familiar," Izumi replies. "Oh yes!" she suddenly exclaims like she'd forgotten something. The small box on her hands, she shows the crimson stone that's inside to everyone astonishing them, specially Takuya and the two digimons.

She gives a weak smile, "... it's the wrong one huh..."

Takuya grabs the box, "Just where did you get this?"

"I won it," Izumi answered. She tells them about how she and Junpei heard of the combat games that same day they arrived in the village. They heard of the reward from that shopkeeper who led them to Shamanmon, and Shamanmon who said that the reward is the item that warded evil digimons off the village. She and Junpei thought it's the shard Seraphimon told them about and so they decided to join in the tournament. But then Shamanmon sensed danger lurking close to the village, so they agreed that Junpei will take care of whatever enemy is outside the village while Izumi participates in the combat games.

"I'm surprised you managed to deal with them by yourself," Takuya tells Junpei.

Junpei smirks, "Of course! It was a piece of cake!"

"Uh-huh," Takuya wish he hadn't said that. He looks at the crimson shard and wonders if this is the shard Superstarmon located on his map. If that's the case, this is bad isn't it? and his thoughts quickly shifts to that experience he's had with the amber shard. He wants to try and touch the crimson but before he could, a loud explosion coming from the upper floors got his and everyone's attention.

"What's happening?" Izumi nervously asks as the ground shakes.

"They... they're here." Shamanmon says nervously. The look on his face foreshadowing danger.

* * *

"She isn't coming at all..." Kumamon frowns seeing the number of digimon's exiting the arena have gotten less. The sun had already set too, Takuya and the digimon's must already be waiting for them at the meeting place.

"Let's just wait for a bit," Lobomon says.

Kumamon agrees with a nod. It should be easier now to spot Zephyrmon when she comes anyway.

"Hey..." Kumamon speaks in a soft tone still looking at the digimons exiting the place, "I wasn't sure if I should ask but... I've been wondering for a while now. Why do you think Kouichi-san didn't say anything to us...? to you?"

 _Whoa! Where's this coming all of a sudden?_ Lobomon thinks of what to say. Though, _that_ is something he wants to know himself! And the answer is not something he can find by simply figuring it out.

"We would've helped him if he asked..."

"Maybe he thought he didn't need it," says Lobomon. "Besides, he just do whatever he wants." Right. That's what Kouichi does. Just the thought of it, Lobomon finds has suddenly become irritating. Kumamon looks at Lobomon and asks again, "Are you mad at him?"

"Of course I am," Lobomon answers dryly. Kumamon shifts his eyes back to the passing digimon's, realizing he shouldn't have asked.

"Why don't we split up and look for her?" Lobomon proposes. "It'll be faster, then we can just meet up back here."

Kumamon hesitates a bit but agrees. Going solo isn't his favorite idea after all. As they move to split up, a digimon suddenly strikes at them from above. Lobomon and Kumamon evades in time, and the attack that hit the floor creates a mist of dust. The other digimon's still in the premises leave in panic as the mist quickly clears out revealing the attacker. It's ShadowWereGarurumon. Without missing a beat, ShadowWereGarurumon jumps to the air directing his attack at Kumamon. Startled, Kumamon fires his launcher. ShadowWereGarurumon blocks the counter with his arms and gets pushed back. He quickly lowers his defense for another attack but to his surprise, a burst of light hits him sending him out, creating a hole on the ceiling.

Lobomon and Kumamon gather at the middle looking up for the dark digimon. "Where'd he go?" asks Kumamon.

"I don't know..." Lobomon answers looking at the edges of the destroyed ceiling. The dark digimon is nowhere in sight but instead, glowing objects seemingly very slowly falling out of the darkening skies catches their attention. "What's that?" Kumamon asks again. One of the glowing objects makes it past through the ceiling hole. It turns out the light comes from what looks like a tail, connected to something black and round with three eyes. _A digimon?_ Lobomon intently stares at it as it slowly falls between him and Kumamon who's about to reach for it.

Lobomon, alarmed with the realization that the light and the tail is a fuse, he yells, "Kumamon, move away!"

Kumamon yanks his hand back, but before the two of them could distance themselves, the 'digimon' exploded the second it touched the floor. The rest of the ceiling and the floor collapsed, while Lobomon and Kumamon are sent flying to opposite directions and crash violently to the walls, cancelling their digimon forms.

Thinking his bones have been crushed and only hearing loud ringing in his ears, Kouji groans and opens his eyes. He coughs inhaling the smoke that's escaping to the sky, and those falling lights look like stars. Turning his head sideways, he sees a massive hole on the floor, and finds that he's lying down on what little is left of it. He press his hand on the wall then pulls himself up, but loses his balance when he coughs again. He takes his hand off his mouth and stares at something red on his palm. Blood? he coughs harder, but ignores how much red he let out. Just a few feet below them are piles of burning rubble and with more of that 'digimon' closing in, they have to get out and fast! _But how?_

He scans the area for Tomoki, quickly locating him near the western wall; unconscious and his fractal code showing. _Tomoki..._ Kouji tries moving again, exerting much effort standing up. Struggling to keep his balance, he holds on to his digivice.

"Spirit evolu-" Kouji stops in horror. A second of that 'digimon' descending a little faster than the last, falls down the hole on the floor. Kouji hadn't noticed it; the smoke must've covered it, and he can only look down horrified as it makes contact with the rubble.

BOOOMM!

* * *

 **I wanted to add other digimon's here and so the Bomb is actually a digimon called "Bommon" that digivolve before it's fuse run out. And it got me thinking what actually would happen if the fuse runs out first. :)**


	12. Chapter 12 : Fortuneteller Village 4

Takuya's group race towards the exit when they hear another loud 'BOOOM!'. Takuya had wanted to fight whatever 'enemy' head on, but Shamanmon advised to run instead. The first explosion caused the ceiling and walls to crack even when Shamanmon had said they are a couple of floors below the ground. And the explosion just now had the debris from the upper floors push half of the corridor's ceiling and walls to ruin— including that room they were in. Takuya shifts his gaze from the falling concrete behind to that metal door in sight, when he suddenly stops, quickly turns around like he's seen something familiar amidst the falling concrete. And true enough he's seeing it again. Something white... a Digicode? He fix his eyes on it... and as his mouth slightly open, his feet immediately moves.

"Tomoki!" he screams running towards the debris while digivolving into Aldamon. "Get out of here!" he tells the others and takes flight. He moves past the chunks of concrete, catching Tomoki right before he crashes to the rubble. "Tomoki!" Aldamon shakes him a little, but the blood covered Tomoki is motionless. Anxiously, he looks up, sideways, down and up again spotting Kouji lying face down on a small surface.

"I'll get him!" Zephyrmon shouts flying past Aldamon. She grabs Kouji by the arm and carefully lifts him up. She looks around for an escape, when the dark round object falling in front of her catches her eye. _What's that?_ Her eyes follow it for a moment then looks above her, and sees another one. Its glowing end's like a little firework descending.

Aldamon flies to where Zephyrmon is. "What on earth is that?" he asks, looking down at the same object.

"I have no idea," Zephyrmon replies. "But there's one more coming down,"

"It's gonna... explode," Kouji mutters but with urgency.

"Kouji!" A feeling of relief rush through Zephrmon and Aldamon. "Don't talk," Zephyrmon says, then gestures at Aldamon that they fly up and out. Aldamon nods then both digimon's fly out just in time before a third blast, heading to where Junpei and the others are. The second Aldamon's feet touch the ground, he rushes to Shamanmon shouting for help. Horrified at the sight of the two wounded humans, Shamanmon leads the group to Sepikmon's hut. They hurriedly run on the street, passing through hundreds of digimons that watch the gigantic bonfire up the hill.

When the group reaches Sepikmon's hut, they are surprised to find that the said "hut" look more like a large tent. Shamanmon called out Sepikmon, and the fortuneteller quickly comes out. Shamanmon and Sepikmon had a quick exchange in a language they only seem to understand, after which Sepikmon let the group in his home. Kouji and Tomoki are laid down on beds and a digimon called "Cutemon" tend to their wounds. Tomoki stayed unconscious while Kouji woke up not long after Cutemon left his bedside.

Kouji feels his limbs and checks his arms finding his wounds healed. And he can move without feeling his bones hurt. Though he only remembers pink features, long ears, and some cloth, whatever digimon treated him surely did a great job. Kouji doesn't get up however, thinking about what happened in the arena. When the second 'bomb-looking digimon' exploded, he actually thought he and Tomoki would die. His 'mom' had told him that, right before a person dies, the person would get a glimpse of his life. And Kouji thought he saw a glimpse of his.

...his dad, mom, birth mother, Ryu, his friends. But strangely, Kouichi... didn't appear in that vision.

 _Why?_ Kouji stares at the ceiling as if the answer is written on it.

"How are you holding up?" The question from Izumi interrupts his thoughts. Takuya and Junpei follows behind her, with friendly smiles on their faces.

Kouji studies her for a moment, "So it's really you... the one at the arena."

"Hmm? You were watching?"

Kouji nods and looks sideways at the bed next to his, "Me and Tomoki were."

"Why did you go there anyway? Did you know Izumi's there?" Takuya enquires.

"No. But we were told of the reward, and we thought it's the shard so we wanted to participate. That's when we saw Zephyrmon."

Takuya folds his arms, "Then why didn't you tell me? Bokomon and Neemon were worried sick."

"We tried but we couldn't get through," Kouji replies without looking at Takuya. _Besides, if you were there too we probably would all be dead by now_ , Kouji thought but didn't say.

Takuya raise a brow while Junpei clears his throat, "Come on now Takuya, what's important is that they are both okay right?"

"I suppose so," Takuya agrees with a sigh.

"What was it anyway that caused the explosion?" Junpei asks. His eyebrows slightly raised.

"It was a digimon," Kouji replies. He tells the group about his and Tomoki's encounter with ShadowWereGarurumon and those 'bomb' digimons suddenly came falling down from the sky.

"But we're really glad you and Tomoki are alright," says Izumi smiling.

Kouji smiles back, then notice their digimon friends absent, "Where's Bokomon and Neemon?"

* * *

In the next room, Sepikmon throws out random contents of his drawers, old treasure boxes, cabinets like searching for something. Shamanmon, Bokomon, and Neemon watch as jewels, books, some weird stuff preserved in a bottle, and pieces of cloth piles up on the floor. Sepikmon's been like this for a while now and hasn't said a word while at it. Just then, the humans, without Tomoki, let themselves in.

"Ah! Kouji-han, everyone!" Bokomon and Neemon meets them at the door.

"You alright?" Neemon asks Kouji.

Kouji nods with a smile, "Yeah." Shifting his gaze from Neemon to Sepikmon, he asks their digimon friends, "What's he doing?"

Bokomon beams, "Sepikmon said he might have something we're looking for!"

"What were looking for? Wait, what about that reward?" Kouji asks Izumi.

Izumi scratch lightly her cheek. "Well... turns out that was the other shard,"

 _The other shard?_

"If you have it, why didn't you say so when you meet us awhile back?" Takuya asks Sepikmon. But the digimon simply continues searching his drawers. Takuya's eyes narrow, displeased at Sepikmon's silence. But before he says anything else, Sepikmon speaks. "I told you to leave this place..." he turns around facing the group. On one of his hands is a glowing amber. "Why didn't you?"

"I gave an ans—"

"The humans who came here before you," Sepikmon interrupts, "...one of them actually looks a lot like your friend there..."

The group looks at Kouji, whose eyes stay focused on Sepikmon.

"That time, Creepymon had been expanding his hold of the Digiworld and this village was one of the places he eyed. We were relentlessly attacked for days, but thanks to those three our village didn't take serious damage," Sepikmon reveals, sounding monotonous. "I was... quite fond of them, and so I told them about the dark clouds that loomed their future. Our village would be attacked once more but before that day comes I had them decide. Should they stay and defend the village, the wheels will begin to turn for that path of doom. If they leave, the village would be in ruins but they would be on a better path... If it were you what would you have chosen?"

The humans looked at each other for a moment. Then, as if coming up with an answer, Takuya says with a confident smile, "Defend the village, of course!"

"Why?" Sepikmon asks flatly, "Before the enemies attack, we could just evacuate somewhere and start anew."

"But it's your home isn't? Why retreat without even trying to protect it?" asks Izumi.

"Besides, it would be right to let your home to be destroyed just to save ourselves," adds Junpei.

Sepikmon doesn't comment. Shamanmon listens in silence, thinking he's heard the same before.

 _This is your home. Don't you think you should at least fight for it?_

 _Besides, even if you start elsewhere, Creepymon will just seize it. If that happens, are you just going to start again somewhere?_

"I see," Sepikmon mumbles. Walking towards the group, he speaks again, "I tried persuading them to leave... but they won't change their minds. So they fought, and those minion's of Creepymon never returned." He stops inches away from the group and extends his hand, offering the shard to Takuya. Takuya quickly holds up his hands while giving Kouji a glance. Izumi and Junpei looks at the two in confusion, as Kouji gets the shard and sighs.

Not even holding it for two seconds, Kouji drops the shard surprising his friends. Feeling his arm had been crushed by a large rock, Kouji grimaced as he drops to his knees while his other hand hold tightly his aching arm. _  
_

"Kouji!" Izumi and Junpei go to his side with concerned faces, while the others stare wordlessly. _What's going on?_ Takuya is baffled as Bokomon picks up the shard from the floor. _What's happening?_ Kouji grits his teeth when he feels the pain shoot up his shoulder. Sepikmon lowers his eyes on him, and dark blue eyes meet his.

"One day, one of them returned," Sepikmon continues, "...and what I saw in his once fiery eyes was despair. And without saying a word he cried. I wanted to tell 'See? I told you this would happen,' but I couldn't..." his voice is soft but wretched. Returning his gaze to the group he adds, "I found their courage to defy fate admirable. But in the end... I'd regret everyday, not having tried harder to convince them in taking that path, where we could've saved each other."

"Sepikmon..." Bokomon mumbles as if sympathizing.

Sepikmon turns around, "Now that you have that, leave when your friend wakes up." A brief moment of silence follows, then with a dispassionate voice he says, "Do whatever you want."

The group don't retort to Sepikmon's cold dismissal. They stand in silence, each one thinking about what Sepikmon told them. Kouji soon stands up and exits the room first. The others soon follow. They return to where Tomoki rests, but find him awake and out of bed. Junpei doesn't waste much time filling him in with things he missed; and while Tomoki's happy they found a shard, he felt sad for Sepikmon and got him thinking about Kouichi and the other two. There are so many things about them that they don't know. Yet... his eyes flicker from Takuya to Kouji, the latter who meets his eyes.

"Tomoki," Kouji says softly, "I'm sorry."

 _Huh?_ "For what Kouji-nii chan?"

"For what happened in the arena..."

Tomoki blinks a few times. Then with a warm smile says, "Had Kouji-nii chan not realized 'that' is a bomb, it might have exploded on my hands. Things might've turned out worse for me, but didn't. So... thank you."

"If anything are you alright?" he asks.

Kouji rubs his right arm. The pain has lessened and he surely is recovering quickly than Takuya did. Kouji fakes a smile and nods. But why did he...

"But the shard in the TV Forest didn't hurt Kouji right?" says Takuya, "How come he's feeling pain now?"

Junpei rubs his chin and say, "Maybe the first one who touches it will get hurt."

Takuya and Kouji look at each other. It's a common experience they share regarding the shard but... _really_? Takuya turns to Bokomon, "Where is the shard Sepikmon gave?"

Bokomon opens his palm. Good thing he hasn't hid it yet in his Haramaki. "What will you do?"

Takuya looks at it for a brief moment, and swallows as he slowly reach his hand for it. He shut his eyes and with a quick grab, he starts counting in his head. One...Two...Three...Four...Five... _Huh?_ Opening one eye then the other, he observes the shard on his palm. There's nothing. No pain. _Nothing_...

"Perhaps that's the case," says Kouji. "Then next time, we'll have Junpei touch the shard first," he teased.

Takuya smirks, "Ah! That's a great idea!"

Junpei seem to pale, "What? You can't!"

The group laughs, and they talk about their next destination: Steel town. They wonder if it had also changed and if they'll even meet the same Angemon they've met before. After resting for a bit, the group decides they're ready to leave. They tell Sepikmon and Shamanmon.

"Thank you for all your help, Shamanmon and Sepikmon," Izumi bows her head.

Tomoki does the same, "You've treated us really well. Thanks,"

Shamanmon smiles, "Don't mention it. Go on now, be on your way."

The group thanks the two once more, then Bokomon opens the portal. Before the group enters, Takuya declares, "You just watch us Sepikmon. We'll rescue those three!"

Sepikmon stand silently as if not having heard anything. Nonetheless, Takuya's enthusiasm remains and the group seem to agree with their leader with their determined eyes. The group enter the portal one by one, and Sepikmon is reminded of a memory... of his friends leaving after successfully suppressing Creepymon's men. A dark haired boy with lively brown eyes said, _"Watch us Sepikmon! We are going to take control of our fate!"_

 _As_ the portal slowly closes, Sepikmon's eyes fell to the floor. _But you couldn't..._

* * *

 **Until the next one! To Steel Town! XD  
**


	13. Chapter 13 : Steel Area

Stepping out of a metallic brick wall, the DigiDestined marvels another familiar view. The trailmon tracks, shining buildings like silver, roads, all made out of steel.

"That was way quicker than the trailmon huh?" Junpei tells Izumi. Izumi nods in agreement.

"K-Kouichi sama?" the group hear someone say. They look at the source of the voice and finds a digimon standing with eyes wide open, on a narrow space between two buildings, a little east of where they are.

"H-hey, he just mistook you for Kouichi," Junpei whispers to Kouji's ear. Kouji ignores Junpei's stating of the obvious, but studies the digimon for a moment and say, "I'm not him..." his voice fades as a large group of digimon's suddenly gather in front of them.

 _It's Kouichi sama. It can't be!  
_

 _It's him! Bokomon and Neemon are with him._

 _What about Anna and Mihn sama? I don't see them._

The chatters continue on, and the group can only exchange glances.

"Calm down everyone," Bokomon speaks up, silencing the chatters. "This is Kouji-han, Kouichi-han's twin."

 _It's not him? I can't believe it!_

 _What is a twin?_

 _It's a human word no?_

The chatters began again, this time louder than the last. The group looks at one another yet again, and Tomoki asks in a whisper, "What do we do now?"

"Well..." Izumi utters not also sure. Takuya and Junpei shrug, while Kouji shifts his gaze to the chatting digimon's. Even Bokomon and Neemon seems to be at loss for words.

"It's not him alright!" a prominent voice coming from the back of the crowd declares. The chattering stops as the crowd makes way for a digimon with a long golden hair. He wears a white shirt under a green jacket with light green sleeves, green pants and brown musketeer boots. He's got a large knife sheath connected to his belt and wears a green cavalier hat adorned with a long red feather. Bokomon recognizes him and called him 'Petermon'. Petermon greets Bokomon and Neemon with a smile and a hand wave. He approaches the group stopping right in front of Kouji. Kouji would've mistaken him for a human, had it not been for the intimidating red eyes that studies him.

"What is it?" Kouji asks stepping back a little. His brows draw together and glares, clearly conveying his displeasure to the stranger digimon for invading his personal space.

Petermon leans forward, "Hmm...this guy does look like him. But aren't you too serious...?" he comments. "And somehow... you piss me off."

 _Right, what's his problem?_ "Yeah?" Kouji scoffs standing straight, "Guess what, you too just pissed me off."

Petermon smiles wryly, "Guess that puts us on the same boat then". _Hey now_ , Takuya puts his palm on his face, _this is not happening right now_.

"Please, I'd better drown than be on board the same boat," Kouji fires back as Izumi tugs his sleeve.

Petermon laughs, "Hmm... is that so..."

"Petermon! Just what are you doing?!" a female voice yells from above, and the group immediately look up at a digimon with glowing fairy wings. She wears a green crop top with a bell print, green short shorts and brown low heel ankle boots that has pink cone spikes. She looks a bit shorter than Izumi, has her long hair tied in a high ponytail by a green ribbon and on her left thigh is a tattoo of an arrow pierced heart. Bokomon and Neemon called her Tinkermon.

She descends next to Petermon and upon seeing Kouji, covers her mouth with her hand, "Kouichi-sama!?" she exclaims.

Petermon rolls his eyes, "Not him. Look again,"

Tinkermon steps a little closer. Removing her hand from her mouth she says, "You're right. This one is... different."

Kouji sighs in his head. An awkward silence fell on them, while the chatters return.

"S-so..." Tinkermon speaks again glancing over at Bokomon and Neemon, "What are you guys doing here?"

* * *

The Steel Pub is one of the small structures in town. A place for eating, drinking and laughter. It smells of mix fragrances; something sweet like perfume, sour like vinegar, strong like metal and beer. Loud clanking of metal cups and spoons can be heard from any direction. The tables and chairs are made of wood. The group occupies a table near the entrance, and enjoyed the pubs 'Bubbling soup'. Bokomon said the place is for traveling digimon's. A place of rest.

"So you are friends with Anna-sama, Kouichi -sama and Mihn-sama?" Tinkermon asks. Petermon had left a while back for an errand and left Tinkermon to take care of the group.

 _'Sama' she says. They're pretty respected around here._ Takuya shook his head, "Only Kouichi. We fought together in the past against Lucemon."

"Hmm... so it was you guys huh..." Tinkermon smiles. "Thank you for what you've done."

"This guy here is his brother too!" says Junpei while pointing a finger at Kouji. Kouji hasn't said a word since his little squabble with Petermon. He just sat quietly, arms crossed and eyes looking away.

Tinkermon gives a weak smile, "Uhm, sorry about Petermon. But he is actually a nice guy!"

Kouji sighs, "Don't worry about it," he says flatly, not looking at her.

An amused smile cross Tinkermon's face. _He's an easy read like Kouichi-sama in a way I guess_. Turning to Bokomon she asks, "And? What is it that brought you here that you can't tell earlier?"

"We... are looking for the shards," Bokomon answers.

Tinkermon's eyes open wide with surprise, "If there's a shard here, we would've found it already."

"You're looking for the shards too?" Takuya asks unable to hide his surprise. But thinking about it now, three other shards were found before they came and they didn't ask who found them.

Tinkermon nods, "There are others too..." she replies. "How many have you found?"

"Two," Bokomon replies.

Tinkermon takes a sip of her drink, "Well that's certainly quick. How do you find the shards?"

"Well, our digivice should show the way but it's not lighting up again." Takuya replies.

"Maybe there's a trick to it," says Izumi.

"Like what?" asks Junpei.

"Hmm... like maybe it's hidden deep somewhere, or maybe there are two shards again or something..." says Izumi, her voice trailing at the end.

"But it should be here somewhere," says Kouji. "Perhaps we should split up?" he asks Takuya.

Takuya nods, "That's probably the fastest way. And if something strange happens or you are attacked, use your digivice to contact the others."

And with that, they divided themselves to two groups. Kouji and Junpei, and Takuya, Izumi and Tomoki's group. Bokomon and Neemon will wait at the pub with Tinkermon. After a little bit more planning, the group parts from their digimon friends.

As the DigiDestined disappear to the distance, Tinkermon tells the two, "Kouichi-sama is not going to be happy."

"I know," says Bokomon.

"But you still brought them here."

"If we're going to win this war completely we need their help!" Bokomon exclaims.

Tinkermon rolls her eyes, "Are the Celestial digimon's behind this? Because clearly 'they' don't know what they've gotten themselves into!"

"Tinkermon calm down," says Neemon feeling Tinkermon's growing irritation.

"It's true that I spoke with Seraphimon and Ophanimon, but it was my idea to go to the human world," says Bokomon. "...and I couldn't tell 'them' everything but... they are strong! They defeated Lucemon!"

"And when are you going to tell them?" Tinkermon asks angrily. "It's a great feat alright. That they won against Lucemon. But have you forgotten why Kouichi-sama was against Ophanimon-sama's wishes?"

"I have not forgotten!" exclaims Bokomon.

"Just how many of ' _them_ ' have they actually fought?" Tinkermon asks coldly. Bokomon's eye's widen slightly and Neemon looks away. Tinkermon darts a cold stare at the two. Bokomon opens his mouth to speak but Tinkermon doesn't let him. She then says bleakly, "This fight... is different from 'that' time."

* * *

It hasn't even been five minutes since Kouji and Junpei separated from Takuya's group, and a feeling of unease crept into Kouji. He thought someone is watching them from somewhere but he can't exactly pin point where. There appear to be no one on the roofs of the structures in town, and there's no one looking from the windows either. There are a couple of digimon's on the street but they just all seem to be passing-by.

"Where do you think it could be?" Junpei asks, looking at his digivice. "The digivice is not picking up anything."

"Let's just keep looking..." Kouji says, keeping an eye on the buildings or anything out of place. But it is strange. Wasn't it supposed to be easier locating the shards with their digivice? It happened in the TV Forest but not in the Fortuneteller Village, and now Steel Town. Could Izumi be right about such happening having a trick? Something Bokomon and Neemon or Superstarmon don't know about?

"Kouji," Junpei's voice snaps Kouji out of his thinking. "Look over there."

Kouji directs his eyes to where Junpei points at. Between two tall structures is a small one, smaller than the pub. Except that the front sign says 'Soul Reading'. Kouji frowns, he's so done with anything that has to do with divination's. Kouji looks away, but quickly returns his gaze to that direction noticing Junpei head towards the place.

"Hey, where are you going?" he asks.

"Let's go! It looks interesting!"

 _What is?!_ Before Junpei can enter, Kouji catches up. He grabs Junpei's arm. "What do you think are you doing?" Kouji asks. "Let's focus on finding the shards here."

Junpei chuckles, "I am focused. Don't worry, I have a plan."

 _A plan_? Kouji raises an eyebrow. Releasing Junpei's arm he says in a flat tone, "Then tell me about it,"

Junpei puts his arms on his hips, "Since the digivices aren't working, we'll have your soul read and ask the soul reader if he can locate Kouichi's with yours."

Kouji studies Junpei's smug face. Well, it's not a bad idea to try it but they might've better asked Sepikmon instead in the Fortuneteller's Village. Besides, knowing Junpei he probably wants to know something having to do with Izumi. Kouji sighs.

Before he gets to say anything, Junpei's digivice glow and the beam of light directs them inside. Kouji brought his digivice out. It's glowing, and pointing inside. Kouji looks up at Junpei, who gives a half shrug with an I-told-you-so smile. Having no choice, Kouji goes inside with Junpei. The inside is dark and surprisingly almost empty except for a round table, chairs and a digimon in a midnight blue hooded cloak.

Even with the hood covering the digimon's features, it's easy to tell he looks at the two humans. "Welcome," he says in a deep low voice.

Kouji looks down at his digivice. The beam of light disappeared. He blinks, studying the digimon in front of them.

"Erm... we'd like to have 'our souls' read," says Junpei.

 _We?_ Kouji shows an outward smile. The cloaked digimon gestures them to come forward. The boys step forward and sit on two of the chairs around the table. The digimon spreads deck of cards in a fan-like fashion, face down on the table. "Pick one."

"Wait... how does this work?" Kouji asks with skeptic eyes.

"Our souls sense anything that it feels connected to. A place, a person, a thing. The card you pick is what your soul is drawn into," the digimon answers. "And when you draw one, your souls will leave your bodies."

"Leave our bodies?" Junpei felt every hair in his body stand. "But it's suppose to be just a reading... right?"

The cloaked digimon nods, "Your souls will travel to the 'Astral'. There... you'll see all sorts of truths."

"Astral?" Junpei raise a brow, "You mean like where the dead goes?"

The digimon doesn't answer. But his mouth curves into a smile.

Kouji crosses his arms over his chest. _This is ridiculous_. If it is what Junpei says, Kouji wants no part in it. He's had a near death encounter not so long ago, and isn't so willing to have his soul separate from his body now. But the digivice pointed at the place awhile back. Kouji peers at the place but couldn't see anything.

"A human... of similar soul colour to yours have been there for a while," the digimon tells Kouji, getting Kouji's attention.

"Soul colour?"

"He maybe talking about Kouichi," says Junpei, his eyes twinkling."You're twins after all,"

 _Right._ Except that Kouichi is technically alive. _  
_

Junpei swallows nervously, and draws a card to Kouji's surprise. And he can only give Junpei a look of what-the-hell-are-you-doing-man?

Kouji sighs. Despite his distrust of the hooded digimon and how uncanny the digimon sounded all the while, he doesn't have much choice. He hovers his hand over the cards, then pulls one over. Two of Diamonds.

Kouji lowers down the card and glance over at Junpei, but finds his hand placed horizontally on the table and his forehead on the arm. _What the_? Suddenly Kouji's body feels so weak, his eyes in a daze like he's been drugged. He scowls at the digimon whose smile turn to grin— a grin with malice. He tries standing up but falls off his chair. As his consciousness continue to drift away, something... or someone else in the place catches his eyes. Appearing behind the cloaked digimon is a pretty girl dressed in a neat dirty white long dress. Blond and bare foot. Her bright sea green eyes stare into his sleepy deep blue's as she smiles. Kouji's eyes slightly open.

 _Anna... Brock...d_? _But how_...?

Suddenly, a strong force pull him away from the place and felt helpless against it. The already dark room becomes even darker if possible, and all sound is suddenly lost. _What's happening_?

* * *

 **XD Till next time! Thanks for reading guys! :)  
**


	14. Chapter 14 : The Astral

Kouji feels his body ever so light like a feather being carried away by a gale. He feels drowsy yet at the same time awake, but couldn't really make anything out of where he's being taken. He slowly blinks and is met with the sight of pitch blackness. More than that, he realized he is no longer getting pulled. He suddenly stopped. _What happened?_ He tensed staring into nothingness.

"Kouji!"

Kouji reels around. It's Junpei. The confused and worried look on his friends face prompts Kouji to scan around. But there's only darkness.

"This is... the 'Astral'?" Kouji mumbles.

"It is..." replies a voice. Kouji's eyes widen as Junpei hold his breath. Suddenly appearing behind him is a huge, whitish digimon.

Kouji holds on to his digivice then blinks, quickly identifying the digimon. "Cherubimon..."

Cherubimon shows a gentle smile, and Junpei lets out a relived sigh. "Good to see you again... DigiDestined."

"What... are you doing here? What exactly is this place?" Kouji asks.

"This is where the data of digimons failing to be reborn streams. Every emotion and memory... is here in the Astral," answers Cherubimon. "It is invisible outside but this stream of data flows around the digital world. I'm currently guarding this place."

"But... there's nothing here..." Junpei says nervously. They've been around the Digital World before but he's never heard or went to such place before. More than that, he's never expected the place to be so dark.

"The Astral has dimensions, and this is one of those dimensions," explains Cherubimon. "For what purpose have you come here DigiDestined?"

"We... are looking for pieces of Seraphimon's Ember stone," Kouji answers, "The amber ones. Shards with Rhihimon in it."

"And you think that shard is here?"

"I'm not sure either. But our digivices may have guided us here."

Cherubimon gaze at the humans as if studying them. Kouji and Junpei waits for the digimon to speak.

"If what you look for is indeed here, then you may seek it," Cherubimon says, bringing smiles to the DigiDestined faces. "But be careful," Cherubimon warns. "As I said, emotions and memories flows in here. Feelings you will feel and memories you remember may not be yours."

"Got it."

"Keep walking from here in any direction. And remember to only move forward," says Cherubimon. "May you find what you look for DigiDestined,"

"Thank you Cherubimon..." says Kouji. He starts walking, and Junpei drags his feet following quickly. After walking for a while, they reach a wall of fractal code that extends as far as their eyes can see.

Junpei looks back finding Cherubimon gone. He takes a deep breath, "Man... I'm so nervous,"

"Just who's brilliant idea was it to do that soul reading?" Kouji asks touching the white wall lightly.

Junpei frowns then laughs nervously, "... the digivice."

 _Uh-huh_. "Well, let's hope we can find a shard here," Kouji draws a sharp breath. "Let's go!"

They both pass through the wall of data, and light quickly invades Kouji's vision. His eyes automatically closes, then Kouji slowly opens them. He looks next to him and finds Junpei whose hand covers his eyes. He looks around the area next, seeing white sand extending all the way to the horizon, and some lifeless trees.

"What is this place?" Junpei asks in a weak voice. He turns around and sees another stretch of sand and dried trees.

"I have no idea..." Kouji's voice trails off sensing a slight shaking from the ground. In front is a horde of digimons charging towards them at full speed— and another group of digimons, strange looking, charges from behind. _What the_?

"Junpei, we gotta—" The groups of digimon colliding at each other cut Kouji. A fog of sand quickly forms and makes it hard to see. Kouji stays low, realizing Junpei is not anywhere near. "Junpei!" he calls out amidst the chaos.

No response. Kouji calls out again shouting louder than the last, but he can only hear cries and weapons from the battle field. He calls again, glancing around, and finally hears his friend coughing. Junpei emerges from the smoke, "Are we in the Lost Island again?"

Kouji breathes a sigh of relief. It does bring memories of the Lost Island. But instead of the human type vs. beast type, one group looks 'normal' while the strange ones have a black slimy, liquid-like coating on their bodies. More than that, they all have blood-shut eyes and their faces looked agonized.

"What are those black digimons?" Junpei asks the same question in Kouji's head.

Consecutive balls of fire like meteoroids soon lands on the black digimons' side from above, setting many on fire. Though the humans are in a safe distance, Kouji can feel the hotness of the flames as if he's so close to it.

The two try to get away from the battlefield when a crow-like digimon, swings his swords at them. They gasp, managing to duck before the blade cuts them in half. The digimon flies into the fog of sand as Junpei moans slightly.

 _It grazed him_? "You alright?" Kouji asks, his eyes searching for the vanished digimon.

Junpei nods, not looking too concerned. Kouji spots another white wall ahead and they quickly crawl on the ground. As they near the wall Kouji stops, and views the ensuing battle. A number of those 'normal' digimons lay senseless on the ground, while 'black digimons' slowly melt to black liquid as they burn. Kouji averts his eyes, and hurriedly cross through the white wall.

In a split second, the sound of clashing weapons, explosions and battle cries disappear. Kouji looks on both sides. Knowing they're somewhere else, both sigh in relief.

"That was nerve-wracking! And those weird looking digimon's freaked me out..." Junpei comments. He takes a deep breath, and checks his wound to find it gone. "It's healed..." he utters.

Kouji stands up surveying the area, finding it more familiar than the last. The eerie darkness and strange trees, it's the Forest of the Continent of Darkness. Kouji sees the digivice on his hand glowing again. Junpei brought his out and a beam of light points them forward. They follow the light while at the same time, wary of the moving shadows on either side of the forest.

"Hey Kouji, what do you think were those black digimon's awhile ago?" Junpei asks. "They're... different from the one's we've fought at the Fortuneteller Village right?"

"We?"

"Ah!" Junpei pauses realizing Kouji and Tomoki were absent when he told Takuya. "Well I did. On the outskirts of the village. But they were more like that digimon you encountered," he says.

Kouji stops walking, then so does Junpei. "How many have you fought?"

"Three?"

Kouji is impressed, but puts on a fixed expression. "And did you defeat them?"

"Well..." Junpei lightly scratch his cheek and looking away. "When I knocked one out the other two suddenly fled," he answers returning his gaze at Kouji to see his reaction. But Kouji's expression doesn't change. Junpei thinks for a moment before giving a serious expression.

"What is it?" Kouji asks.

"There's just something strange that happened."

"Strange?"

"I forgot to mention to Takuya and the others but... that digimon I knocked out, I couldn't scan him,"

"What do you mean?"

"I tried scanning him twice but that digimon won't purify. And when he woke up he just fled."

"A digimon that can't be purified?" Kouji can't even imagine, but that certainly is a first. "Anyways, lets find the shard first and let the others know once we regroup," he says.

Junpei agrees. They continued following the light that leads them to the ruins, passing through a small but still intact stone structure.

Inside, the Digidestined finds the shard afloat in the middle of a room. They go near it, and for a brief moment Kouji and Junpei look at each other. Kouji joked they'll have Junpei touch the shard first but now, he wants it to stay a joke. Turning his eyes to the shard he reaches for it, until Junpei stops him. He grabs Kouji's arm.

"My turn," Junpei said sounding stiff.

Kouji looks seriously at Junpei, "It-hurts-like-hell,"

"Just let me do it!" Junpei exclaims nervously. Kouji pulls his hand back.

Junpei moves closer to the shard while Kouji steps back, when something flies between them in a flash. Both looks at the wall and finds a gigantic black shuriken stuck on it. _What is it this time_? Kouji turns and sees a couple of digimons entering the room through a small window. Their silhouette, petite with something sword-like on their backs maybe different from the bigger and scarier ones in 'that' battlefield, but their black slimy bodies and red eyes are the same.

"It's those black digimons!" Junpei exclaims.

The digimon's throw smaller shurikens at them. Junpei and Kouji jumps to the sides to dodge the barrage. As soon as they got on their feet, both produces rings of fractal codes.

"Spirit evolution!" says Kouji evolving to Garummon.

"Spirit evolution!" says Junpei evolving to Bolgmon.

Bolgmon charges his gun turrets, "Ultimate Thunder!" He fires two balls of thunder destroying the wall and liquidizing some black digimons. The rest retreated outside throwing larger shurikens at Garummon as he goes after them.

On the ground, Garummon charges and blasts a beam of light. The black digimon's disperse in time but a few didn't. Garummon watch baffled as they turn to black liquid.

Bolgmon's struggle in the structure catches Garummon's attention. He prepares to jump, but abruptly stops feeling a sharp pain in his back. More than that, the pain slowly crawls all over his body making Kouji cancel his digimon form. _What's happening?_ Kouji yells in his head. He touches his back, feeling it wet. He quickly puts his hand in front of him finding blood. He stares at it puzzled.

A wall of data appears not far behind him but he didn't notice, as he endures the pain of his wound.

"Kouji!" Bolgmon yells, throwing the shard. Kouji struggle to move a little back and misses the catch. But manages to pick it up in time before the shard rolls in the white wall. Kouji secures it in his pocket, ignoring the prickling sensation then turns to check on Bolgmon. To his surprise, he is suddenly met with a concrete of wall. He looks to his left then to his right finding himself in a street he walked on everyday.

"Bolgmon!" he calls. But only the cold wind answers. He slightly shivers. The street lights opens one by one and he walks around to his houses front yard. Through one of the windows, he watches himself put candy canes on a white cake, while his dad plays with Ryu. It was the Christmas of last year. What on earth...? Kouji watches on for a bit when he hears the crinkling of a plastic bag. His eyes widen in surprise at his twin standing near the light post.

 _Kouichi?_ Kouji runs to his side, but Kouichi focuses on the scene behind the glass. _He can't see me_?

Kouichi stood there for a minute, before taking his phone out of his pocket. He dials a number and in a bit, Kouji can hear slightly his voice at the other end.

" _Kouichi? What time are you gonna be here?"_

" _I won't be able to make it," Kouchi replies flatly while he walks away from the light post._ Kouji looks at the window seeing himself run to the door. _  
_

" _What? Why? Did something happen?"_

 _Kouichi stopped walking after turning around the curve. He looks up above... at the falling white flakes. "Nothing," he mutters.  
_

 _"Look, it's not only me who's been looking forward to this but my mom, our dad and Ryu too. Since you're suddenly not coming then give an acceptable reason!"_

 _Kouichi still looking up, doesn't respond.  
_

" _Fine. Do what you want,"_ Kouji hears himself say. _"Merry Christmas."_

 _Drop._

 _It took a little while for Kouichi to take the phone from his ear._

 _"I just..." He breathes the cold air, tucking the phone back in his pocket.  
_

Kouji looks dumbfounded while watching Kouichi round another curve with downcast eyes. But the disappointment, and the hurt that came with Kouichi's continuous disregard of the Minamoto household comes back to him. Kouji runs after his twin but upon reaching the turn, is faced with a bright painted wall.

He looks to his left, the next room. A cabinet with a picture of his birth mother and grandmother, and a burning incense between the photographs. He walks past the sliding _door_ , quickly noticing a couple of scattered papers on the floor, in front of a door. Kouji has been to the apartment a number of times, and knows the room behind the door is his twin's. He picks one of the papers. It's the missing ad of Mihn. He gets another one— it's Anna's missing ad. And all other papers on the floor were missing posters of the two.

 _What's all these doing in here?_ Kouji wonders. He hears soft noises from Kouichi's room, and an intense sadness takes over him. _What's this_? He clutches his chest and immediately opens the door. He sees his brother, on his knees and sobbing on his bedside. On his hands are crumpled ads of the two.

Kouji quickly goes to him. "What's wrong?" he asks as if his twin can hear him. The warm air entering through an open window fills the room.

"You..." says a voice behind Kouji startling him. "...shouldn't be here."

Kouji cautiously turns around, and what he sees shocks him more than seeing Anna Brockwood in Steel Town.

"Kouji!" Kouji hears his name. In a snap, he's back in the ruins. Flying towards him in a hurry is Blitzmon, chased by a cloaked digimon having one arm larger than the other, and red eyes locked on them like preys. Before Kouji can react, Blitzmon tackles him to the white wall.

* * *

 ***Lost Island is from an OVA of Frontier titled The Revival of the Ancient Digimon. XD  
**


	15. Chapter 15 : The Other Dimensions

Takuya, Izumi and Tomoki looks bewildered over a towering silver wall. Izumi looks down on her digivice and clearly, the beam of light passes through the wall. They tried searching for a way in but none they could find. It's also quite high making climbing impossible. Tired, they rest in a nearby bench. A gust of wind blows, and Tomoki spins around, having heard voices in the wind.

"What's wrong?" Takuya asks him.

Tomoki shakes his head lightly, "Nothing."

"Just how on earth are we supposed to we get in?" asks Izumi. The other two simply looks at her, having no clue.

"You shouldn't go there..." someone says. Startled, the three trace the origin of the voice. They find the same digimon that first mistook Kouji for Kouichi, standing yet again in a narrow space between two buildings. Approaching the three, he introduces himself as Aegiomon.

Takuya studies the white-haired digimon then says, "What we look for is behind this wall you see. So we'll have to go in anyways."

"What's in there?" asks Tomoki.

"Hmm? You really don't know?" Aegiomon asks back folding his arms. The humans exchange glances.

"We don't," says Izumi. "Will you tell us?"

"Behind is Witchmon's Palace. It is said to be cursed, since no one's ever comes back out," Aegiomon answers. "She no longer resides in it, but Anna-sama told us not to go in unless we must."

"Uhm... we really need to," Takuya insists. "Do you know the way in?"

Aegiomon doesn't answer glancing at the the three, as if thinking deeply. After a moment of silence, he finally says, "Follow me."

Though the light points the other way, the DigiDestined follows the digimon in the narrow alley. And in each time they turn a corner, Tomoki is wary sensing they are being watched. He sticks a little closer to Takuya and Izumi.

"So Aegiomon, why are you helping us?" asks Tomoki.

"I shouldn't?" Aegiomon asks as he jumps over a small fence.

"You just seem hesitant a while ago," Tomoki replies.

The digimon shrugs, "Don't say I didn't warn you. Besides, what you're looking for is something I also wish found,"

"What... do you mean?" Takuya asks as he abruptly stops walking. Izumi and Tomoki too, halts.

Aegiomon faces the humans, "You're looking for those shards aren't you?"

"And how do you know about the shards?"

Aegiomon laughs, "I know more than that. I know about what happened to those 'three' too."

"Then why'd you mistook Kouji for Kouichi?" asks Izumi.

"The shards could've been found and he's returned," Aegiomon replies. "Besides Kouichi-sama never talked about his life in the human world. None of them did."

Takuya casts a doubtful eye. Tinkermon said there are others who look for the amber shards, but there's something strange with the digimon in front of them. And Takuya can't pinpoint what it is.

"Come on," says Aegiomon, moving on. Takuya glance over his shoulder at his friends, before following the digimon. They still need to get to 'Witchmon's Palace'.

Nobody has said another word as they walk on rusty alleys and taking a few more turns. Soon, the humans notice the beam of light is no longer pointing the other way, but ahead. A few more steps and they stop in front of a structure that closely resembles that of an old abandoned cathedral.

"Here it is," says the digimon.

"I thought you said palace..." Takuya comments, tucking his digivice in his pocket.

"It's what Anna-sama called it. It's not large but it swallowed all that entered."

The surrounding cold air almost like a fog sends shiver to Tomoki's spine. It's like they are not on Steel Town despite the other side of town just behind them. Tomoki can feel a little warm standing between Takuya and Izumi.

"So you actually made it!" remarks a familiar voice making the group turn around. Emerging from the fog is Petermon, clapping his hands.

"Here I was thinking when you'd show up," says Aegiomon. The humans quickly sense some tension between the two.

"You were following us?" asks Tomoki.

Petermon chuckles, "I saw you walking around with him but I'm here first," he pauses. "So that shouldn't count as following."

 _Ugh_... Takuya frowns. "Then why are you here?"

"Same reason as yours," Petermon answers. "Good timing actually, just when I'm thinking of entering. I suppose I can leave it to you."

He swiftly walks past the group to the entrance of the palace, opening it's doors. The DigiDestined step a little closer, their eyes glowed staring at gold walls and chairs, and silver Gothic styled pillars. A red carpet extends from the door to a platform in front. Elegant wall-mounted candles brightens up the inside, and struck the humans in awe.

"Don't be fooled by appearances," says Petermon. "Many ventured inside for the treasures you see but no one ever got to tell the tale."

"Well then... off you go!" says Petermon, harshly pushing Izumi inside. She tries to keep her balance walking clumsily until tripping on the carpet and fall on the ground. "Hey!"

"Just what are you—" The doors quickly closing in surprises Takuya.

"I wouldn't leave her in there by herself if I were you," says Petermon. Takuya glares at him as he slips past the door, halfway to closing.

"What do you think are you doing?" Takuya hears Aegiomon yell. He looks behind, finding Tomoki still outside and Petermon's knife on his throat. Takuya and Izumi looks on in shock.

"This one is coming with me," says Petermon with a wry smile.

"You scum! If you hurt him I'm never forgiving you!" Takuya yells as the door fully closes. One by one, the candles die out as if someone blows them off. Izumi stands up and clings on Takuya's arm. When the last candle goes out, it doesn't take long for them to light up again revealing a short corridor. The floor, ceiling and walls comprise of smooth and shiny oval stones. The left end is a brick wall while the right is a wooden door.

"What is this place?" Izumi wonders. The light from their digivices point beyond the door.

"Let's find out," says Takuya. They open the door and finds another corridor- dimly lighted and longer than where they found themselves. The light still pass beyond the stone wall, and the two exchange glances.

"Maybe there's a way around it like how Aegiomon led us here," says Izumi.

Takuya nods, and they follow the corridor. With each turn of a corner, the light changes direction but the two stay focused finding their way. When they reach a sixth turn, they are faced with two paths: right or left. They go with the left wall and soon have to choose between another two passages. Following the right wall this time, they reach a narrow passage leading to multiple passages. One is found right next to where they came and two at the north end. The beam of light pointing south to a dead end.

"What is this place?" Takuya sounds slightly frustrated.

"It's like some kind of a maze..." Izumi comments glancing at the pathways ahead.

 _A maze? It can't be_... thinks Takuya, and notice a soft smile cross Izumi's face. "What?"

Izumi slightly shakes her head, "The first time we came to this world...we both fell in a place like this too didn't we?"

"Ah!"

"I wonder how's Tomoki doing..." says Izumi weakly, the smile on her face fades.

"We'll get him back," Takuya says with an assuring smile. "So we'd better find the shard fast,"

"But how? We've been walking for a while now and we don't even know how big this place is."

"You know what they say..." says Takuya, "If we can't find the way we gotta make one!"

* * *

"What happened to you?" Tomoki asks Petermon who stands in front of a mirror, examining something of dark grayish colour from his chest to his belly, extending to his back.

"Doesn't matter," Petermon replies putting on a white shirt.

Tomoki shifts his vision outside a twelve foot high window. He had expected to be taken somewhere dark and locked in chains, but there he is, unbound in a grandiose castle, looking at a garden larger than what he'd seen at Ophanimon's Castle. Wild flowers bloom beautifully to the far off distance where green mountains attempt to touch the cerulean sky. A large number of young digimon's have fun playing on the gardens seemingly oblivious of the world Bokomon told them about. Petermon called the place Never-Ever Land, a dimension in the Digiworld that he rules with Tinkermon.

Knock, knock, knock.

Tomoki turns to the door, opened by a digimon with a fire-like hair, green eyes and burning tail. He politely introduced himself to Tomoki as Flamon.

"Master Petermon, the tea is ready..." Flamon says.

"Good. Thank you," says Petermon as he fix his hat. "Come on," he tells Tomoki sounding more like an order. Tomoki frowns feeling having no other choice but oblige. He follows Petermon outside to another flower garden behind the castle. It's smaller than the front garden, but Tomoki enjoys the sight and the lovely scent that mingle with the fresh air. At the edge of the flower garden is a small wooden shelter overlooking a large lake, and more mountains at the far end. Tomoki goggles at the view running to the shelter ahead of Petermon.

He looks down at the water and can literally see the stones and mud underneath. Also something white and moving. Tomoki focuses his attention to it and is soon met with large sea green eyes that reminded him of _Toucan Paradise_. Tomoki smiles fondly remembering the digimon's name, Gomamon.

"A human guest?" the digimon slightly tilts his head to the side.

 _Not exactly_. Tomoki nods flashing a grin, "I'm Tomoki,"

"Hi there!" the digimon smiles. "Is Mihn here too?"

"Mihn?"

"Nope," Petermon answers as he steps in the shed. He sits on one of three wooden chairs around a tea table.

Gomamon turns his attention to him, "When will he be back?"

"Probably never."

"You're kidding. He promised he'd play with us again!"

"Gomamon..." Petermon gives a faint sigh, "Go play somewhere else. I'd like to speak with the guest,"

For a moment, Gomamon's thick brows knitted at Petermon, then shifts his attention to Tomoki. He smiles, "Can we play later?"

"Of course!"

As Gumamon happily swims away, a feeling of uneasiness comes to Tomoki. Even without the red-eyed digimon speaking, Tomoki hears him commanding to sit down. He pulls out a chair, sitting across Petermon. A bluish liquid in a small cup is served.

"It's not poisoned," says Petermon taking a sip. Flamon standing outside the shed like a butler, smile ear to ear. Tomoki then drinks a little, noting it tastes sweet and a little bitter like macha. He takes a second sip then glance at Petermon.

"Why'd you bring me here?" he had asked the same question when they arrived at Never-Ever Land, but Petermon simply ignored him.

Petermon stares at Tomoki as if observing him. "Let's play a game shall we?" he says with an amused grin.

"What game?"

Petermon leans back on his chair, "Simple. You and I alternately ask questions we can answer with 'Yes' or 'No'."

Tomoki blinks for a moment, "Alright. You... can go first if you want,"

"Then," says Petermon in a melodic tone. "...the Divine Digimons told you to come to the DigiWorld?"

"No." Tomoki answers. "It wa—"

"The rule is to answer only 'yes' or 'no'," Petermon interrupts. "Your turn."

"Erm, you... are friends with Kouichi-san, Anna, and Mihn?"

"No." Petermon replies flatly, to Tomoki's surprise. "...Then it's Bokomon who came to you?"

"Yes." Tomoki pauses thinking of his next question. "Mihn... you brought him here too against his will?"

Petermon chuckles, taking a moment to think. "Yes. You've met with the _Divine's_ yet?"

"No." Tomoki replies noting the glimpse of annoyance on Petermon's face when he said _Divine's_. "You don't like Ophanimon, Seraphimon or Cherubimon?"

"Yes," the digimon replies. Tomoki could use a follow up but knows Petermon won't entertain."If your friends becomes your enemy, and it's impossible to return them to who they once were, can you eliminate them?"

 _Eliminate?_ Tomoki's green eyes widens. _What kind of question is that?_ he wonders. "I-uh..." he stammers looking down on his tea as he thinks. In his head he imagines, going against Takuya, Kouji, Izumi and Junpei, but shakes his head to rid of the idea. He looks up at Petermon who patiently waits for the answer.

"What about you?" Tomoki asks pausing for a moment should Petermon interrupt. When the digimon simply takes a drink, Tomoki continues, "...Can you ' _eliminate_ ' them?"

Petermon carefully place his cup on the table. The corners of his mouth turns up then leans forward, "Yes."

The two stare at each other until Tomoki looks away. There's something dark in those jade eyes. Tomoki feels if he keeps looking at them, he'll be swallowed by that darkness. A breeze brush Tomoki's hair and strangely the boy finds calm with just hearing the wind.

"Petermon!" Tinkermon shouts descending on land. Tomoki is surprised to see her but feels relieved at the same time.

"I can hear you even if you don't shout," says Petermon. "How'd you know I'm here anyway?"

"Hmp! Aegiomon told me,"

"Yeah? And so you left Bokomon and Neemon with him?"

"Of course not. They maybe some buffoons but they're allies," Tomoki listens to the exchange a little confused. Tinkermon smiles at him, "Did Petermon treat you well?"

At the corner of his eyes, Tomoki catches Petermon roll his eyes. "Yes. The tea is nice..."

Tinkermon giggles, "Do you mind if I speak with him?"

Toomoki couldn't be more glad. "No,"

Tinkermon calls Flamon to show Tomoki around. As they step away from the shed Tinkermon starts shouting.

"Are you that amused?!"

"I am,"

"Petermon!"

"In fact he should be happy no?" Tomoki hears Petermon say, his voice fading. Tomoki looks behind to the shed that keeps getting smaller as he walks further away. Petermon looks his way with sharp eyes, speaking a little louder as if making sure Tomoki hears him. Tomoki is astonished at Petermon's words, and wonders about how much information Bokomon and Neemon left out.

* * *

 **'Til next time! XD**


	16. Chapter 16 : The Other Dimensions

**ASTRAL**

It hasn't been long since Kouji and Junpei comes to another wasteland. Though it's more like the land near the Breezy Area. The boys takes rest on a large tree in the area as Junpei fills Kouji in about what had happened.

"He just came out of nowhere and attacked those black digimon's. Thought he was on our side until he started swinging that huge arm at me too!" Junpei says with a frown, of the digimon that chased them off. Though he's glad, that digimon seem to not have landed on the same place. The brown haired human adds that the digimon is like some royal knight in strength, and when he attacked the black digimons, a crimson colored fractal code appeared.

"Junpei, did that same 'fractal code' appear when you defeated one of those black digimons?"

Junpei shook his head, "No. That's why I thought that 'digimon' was bad news,"

"It's... strange isn't?" says Kouji. Junpei looks at him. "Cherubimon said, this place is where memories and feelings of digimon's failing to become eggs flow right? So it means everything we've seen so far in here are supposed to be only memories..." Kouji feels his back- searching for that deep wound that had disappeared.

"Hmm... and it's most likely why our wounds healed as soon as we pass through the white wall. But that Digimon looked _real_ enough." Junpei sighs, then with a look of concern, says, "The shard... is real right?"

Kouji hesitantly takes the shard out of his pocket. They're screwed if the stone is merely a memory of a digimon in search of it. He studies the glowing gem while feeling its hardness with his thumb. "Seems like it..."

Junpei sighs in relief. "What happened to you there by the way?" he asks, "You were spacing out..."

Kouji stays silent for a while, and Junpei cocks his head waiting for his peer to speak.

"That too... baffles me," Kouji confess. "When I touched the shard, I saw memories..."

"Memories? of what?"

"...of my brother's..."

"Kouichi?"

Kouji nods. "Hm, certainly that is... strange," Junpei comments.

"Not only that. Before I lost consciousness in the tent, I saw Anna behind that cloaked digimon..." Kouji adds.

"Whoa! It can't be!" Junpei taken aback, exclaims. "Bokomon said Anna and Mihn are in the Red Moon!"

"I know. But I'm sure of what I saw. She was there... smiling down at me."

Junpei simply stares at Kouji, not knowing what to make out of what he's told. Trying to make sense of everything, Kouji stops talking. Silence envelopes the area for a long time, when white streams of fractal codes appearing on the sky like the aurora immediately grabs the attention of the boys. They raise their heads up at the same time.

A large arm slashes through the air and comes crashing on the humans like a falling star. Barely avoiding the attack, they cough inhaling the dusty air brought by the impact. Walking out of the cloud of dust is the ever familiar digimon. The D-tector, identify him as Bagramon.

 _Great! Now what_? With just the two of them, there's no way they can defeat a digimon with the powers to erase memories- even more so probably not in Astral- unless Bagramon is a memory himself. But can a memory chase after them? Kouji searches for a nearby white wall on ground. He finds one behind them, but it's too far. Kouji grits his teeth.

"Junpei!" he points upwards.

Receiving the message, Junpei nods and evolves to Blitzmon. Kouji evolves to Garummon. Bagramon swings his arm at them, creating another cloud of dust. Garummon glances down while flying fast to the white wall. Without much head-start, Bagramon pursues them with stretched arm, ready to grab his preys. It feels like a thousand-meter dash to the finish, and Bagramon's speed threaten to catch up even before they both make it to the wall.

 _Should we thwart him off_? Garummon debates internally. The moment they stop for a second could mean Bagramon ripping them off or successfully delaying him. Or perhaps they just gamble on the slim chance of reaching the wall before he gets to them. If it was Takuya, he would've faced the enemy head on, but Garummon won't do the same. And with Blitzmon ahead not even looking back, seems to be thinking similarly.

The stream of data begin to disappear and Garummon and Blitzmon speed up, like runners within the few meters left in the race. Suddenly, two larger arms spread out like wings from the wall. And before they both can react to it, it envelopes them with blinding light.

* * *

 **WITCHMON'S PALACE**

Takuya and Izumi backtracks their way having passed a passage they've marked.

"We'll just have to be patient I guess...since your idea didn't work," says Izumi noting the frustration on Takuya's face. They've got to rescue Tomoki still- wherever Petermon had taken him- yet they've been wasting time walking back and forth for god knows how long.

Earlier on, Takuya had tried to break the wall to create a short-cut but to their dismay, the wall restored the damage quick enough that the DigiDestined didn't have time to pass through. After a couple of failed attempts, the two decided to find their way in the maze drawing an asterisk mark on the passages with a pink nail-polish Izumi had in the pocket of her jeans. They aren't sure of the time, but their growling stomachs is a sign of urgency.

Finding the mark on the walls and then backtracking yet again, they find themselves in a new corridor. The smell of dry earth becomes prominent but it's the strange gray-ish oval stones making up the walls that catch their attention.

"Now this is different..." Izumi comments with a hint of excitement, as she and Takuya examine the wall.

Takuya scratches his cheek. It looks familiar but he can't seem to identify it exactly. "Well, at least we don't have to go back," he says.

"I suppose you're right," says Izumi, gently pressing her palm on a stone.

CRACK!

Izumi retracts her hand from the wall, and her eyes fell down near her feet. Coming out of a fossil stone, like a hatching chick is a digimon. Small, white and resembling that of a seed, the digimon, identified as Tsubumon by their digivice, automatically rests his dark eyes at the humans.

"You're lost?" Tsubumon asks lazily, like he's half asleep.

"You... can say that," Takuya replies snapping out of his disbelief. He scans the adjacent stones as if waiting for something to happen.

"We're looking for something. But it's hard finding the way." says Izumi.

Tsubumon studies the humans, his sleepy eyes slowly open wide. "You came for the fabled treasures? You should have listened to the ones outside. Now, you won't get out of this labyrinth like the rest of us..."

"What do you mean? There's only you," says Takuya.

Tsubumon gestures with his eyes to look at the wall. Like on cue, the DigiDestined study the wall again, and suddenly realize why Tsubumon came out of a stone.

"These are Digi-eggs!" exclaims Izumi.

"But they're not normal. Why?" asks Takuya.

"That's because it's the result of never-ending rebirth in here... where the light doesn't reach," replies the fresh digimon.

"Rebirth...?"

Tsubumon shifts his gaze to the fossilized digi-eggs. "A long time ago, I too came here for Witchmon's treasures. But the treasures never existed. I found Witchmon but she wouldn't let me leave unless I defeat her. I couldn't so I tried to find another way out but none I could find. I eventually became weak but when I thought I was a gonner, when I came to, I realized I was newly born. Others soon came and we worked hard to find the exit even after Witchmon's demise... but in the end we all gave up. Resigned to the fate of living here eternally."

 _Eternally?!_ _Just how long have they've been trapped in here?_ Izumi's mouth slightly parts, feeling pity for Tsubumon and all other digimon's waiting to be reborn. She feels an urge to help them out, but she and Takuya can't even find their way.

Wait. What about them? What if they too can't get out? Without food or water, will they... she swallows hard as her eyes start to blur with tears. Takuya squeeze her shaking hand.

"A human named Anna once came here..." says Tsubumon, surprising the DigiDestined. "That little.. in exchange for helping her find Witchmon, she'd get us out of here she said. But after killing Witchmon, she escaped by herself!" Anger is evident with the way Tsubumon spoke, and it surprises both humans yet again, that there are digimon's who dislike Anna and most probably the other "two".

"Will you take us there? To where Witchmon was," Takuya says. Izumi looks at Takuya confused. "The shard is possibly there, and we might find clues on how to get out..." he tells her.

"Shard?" asks Tsubumon.

"It's the treasure we're looking for. It's probably different from the treasures you came here for, but you'll see how it looks like when we find it," Takuya replies.

Tsubumon darts glances at the humans, "I'll show you the way."

They follow Tsubumon taking corner turns and at times, walking on passages they've marked. Izumi notices Takuya no longer holds her hand, but realizes her fear's quelled. As they walk past the familiar passages and to new ones, she feels her energy slowly escape her. It scares her a little, but as she looks at the person in front and the dimly lighted corridors becoming darker, she only thinks that everything will be alright...

* * *

 **NEVER-EVER LAND**

Tomoki plays in the front garden with Gomamon, Flamon and a few other child digimons. Gomamon gives Tomoki a flower tiara, which the human crowns his head.

"You're having fun," Tinkermon, coming from behind remarks. One of the child digimon's hops to Tinkermon and puts a flower tiara on her golden hair. Tomoki never noticed it until now but Tinkermon's hair really stands out under the sun, and thought that Petermon's hair too must be like glowing stars during the day. He looks up at that window where he marveled at the beauty of Never-Ever Land for the first time, and catches two red orbs as they leave.

"Don't mind him," Tinkermon comments, "He's just concerned about the unrest in the DigiWorld,"

 _Unrest?_ Tomoki stands next to Tinkermon. "Is that about the 'worlds merging'?" He asks having recalled the words uttered by Petermon the day before.

Tinkermon gives a weak laugh. "That... yeah."

"What does he mean?"

Tinkermon glance at Tomoki, and as soon as he meets her eyes, she set her sights to the horizon. She replies, "Creepymon's goal was the 'merging'— The union of this world with yours."

A crease forms on Tomoki's forehead. "I thought he wanted to create a dark world?"

Tinkermon bends plucking a white lily. She thinks about what Bokomon and Neemon told the DigiDestined but she hope they'd done a better job at explaining the situation.

"We Digimon's exist in the DigiWorld because of the fractal code. By being granted fractal codes, you humans can stay here indefinitely. But the same cannot be said for us, for he fractal code does not exist in your world," she explains. "To make the 'merging' possible, Creepymon wanted to remove the fractal code."

"Is that even possible?" Tomoki asks with puzzled eyes, "I mean... will digimons not die without a fractal code?"

"Have you... ever encountered a _fallen_ digimon?"

"No. But in the Fortuneteller's Village we encountered a digimon that looks like a gray shadow," Tomoki replies.

"That digimon is a step away from becoming a _fallen_ ," Tinkermon says, smelling the flower she hold in her hand. "The _Fallen_ look scarier, darker... disgusting. They've become like that after having their fractal codes slowly sucked out of them. And supposedly replaced with... a human code."

Tomoki's jaw drops. _What did she just say_? _  
_

He takes a moment to process what he's heard. "Human... how'd he even got something like that?"

"I also don't know the details, but that _human code_ is harmful to us," Tinkermon answers, her sad eyes matches the bitterness in her voice. "It slowly eats the fractal code like some virus. Anna-sama and then Mihn-sama were incapacitated because of it."

Somehow Tomoki didn't like the sound of that. Questions pop in his head but before he gets to ask any of it, Tinkermon speaks again.

"Kouichi-sama was really angry. Since everyone with the fractal code is at risk of being affected, he asked the Divine Digimon's to stop calling humans here," Tinkermon pauses and turns to the human, "If Kouichi-sama do return... he'll be upset seeing you guys here."

 _I see...so that's why Kouichi-nii didn't say anything. But Bokomon went to the human world for help... does Ophanimon and the others have something to do with it? And why does Petermon dislike them?_

"If the 'merging' do happen, what happens to the digiworld? To this place?"

"This dimension is a part of the DigiWorld but at the same time it's not. So long as Petermon and I exist, even if the worlds merge this dimension will not disappear," replies Tinkermon.

"Is that why Petermon takes digimons and humans here?" Tomoki asks, then mumbles in a weak voice "...forcefully though..."

"I'm sorry about his forcefulness towards you," The fairy digimon says, "But about Mihn-sama, it's not what you think. It was Kouichi-sama who forced Mihn-sama to come here."

"He did?" Tomoki's brow only furrows more, when drops of water kiss his forehead. _Rain_? He raises his head up as the water eventually soak him. All the time he's been in the DigiWorld in the past, he can't remember it ever raining. And like the unmatched beauty of Never-Ever Land, the rain is refreshing. Gomamon and the others too, look up the sky in awe.

The corner of his eyes catch Petermon once again standing on that window with a serious look on his face. Tomoki set his eyes to the direction of the mountains but finds nothing unusual.

"Hey Tinkermon, Petermon is..." Tinkermon's sharp glare and focused look stops Tomoki from talking. Her eyes too locked ahead. Tomoki returns his gaze forward, seeing something black and moving in the air. As the hole gets larger, dark digimon's with blood-shut eyes comes out one by one.

Shocked and alarmed, Tomoki instinctively ready his digivice.

"This is a first. Brace yourself Tomoki," says Tinkermon. "Were under attack."

* * *

 **ASTRAL/STEEL TOWN**

"Thanks Cherubimon, you saved us there." Kouji says with a relieved smile. It was the divine digimon's powers that took them to where they first came to in the Astral.

"You said it. Thanks Cherubimon," says Junpei, also feeling relief. "What's up with that Bagramon anyways? Weren't everything here supposed to be memories?" he asks just as a frown cross his face when he thinks of having forgotten the fact in their debacle in the ruins.

"Bagramon is different. To him, the memories here are like trapped souls that needs to be freed," Cherubimon answers.

 _What? he's some twisted good guy_? "Then why'd he come after us?" Kouji asks.

"Humans aren't supposed to be here. You are intruders to his eyes." Cherubimon replies. "You seem to have found what you looking for,"

Kouji nods showing Cherubimon the shard.

"Our task here is done," he says, or more like he hope so. There's a feeling of uneasiness he can't shake off.

"But how do we get back to Steel Town?" Junpei asks Cherubimon. Cherubimon sways his hand on the air, and like magic, a portal door appears behind the two.

"Enter the door, and you'll return to where your bodies are."

The DigiDestined smile at the Digimon. After saying thanks once more, they enter the door.

Kouji opens his eyes, finding himself lying on concrete and back in the tent. He scrambles up to his feet, searching. The cloaked digimon is gone. And no Anna Brockwood. He hears Junpei moan, as he wakes up from his slumber.

"We're back..." he says rubbing his eyes.

"We are," Kouji confirms. He checks the shard, feeling relieved as he pulls it out of his jacket. Junpei stands up with a slight smile on his face- that fades. The shard in Kouji's palm begin to disappear like dust blown by the wind.

* * *

 **Okay its the longest chapter so far. Hope you liked it. Thanks for tuning in so far! XD**


	17. Chapter 17 : Unveiling 1

**NEVER EVER LAND: Gardens**

They are called _Fallen_... digimon's with human codes... and Tomoki can't help but be appalled by their appearance. The Fallen disperse themselves, and Tomoki is left to deal with Aquilamon while Tinkermon deals with another. Besides Aquilamon's shape of a giant bird with a pair of horns on it's head, Tomoki can't make anything else out of it. He evolves to Blizzardmon, as Aquilamon begins shooting crimson beams over the land sending flower petals flying everywhere.

At the corner of his eyes, Blizzardmon sees Flamon fleeing with some other digimons into the castle, but leaves others behind. He rushes to the ones left, finding them writhing from a familiar wound.

 _It's the same with Petermon's_!

And that black wound, Blizzardmon watches it spread to their bodies. Aquilamon fires at the lake next splitting it in two. The water rises, flooding the garden along with Gomamons flushed with the tide.

"Gomamon!"

Blizzardmon swiftly throws an axe at Aquilamon, and upon contact, the Fallen turns to a liquid-like state falling to what little remains of the lake. He stops, surprised and baffled at Aquilamon for not dodging his attack. Quickly snapping out of his confusion he rushes to the Gomamon's scattered on the garden. And like the others left behind by Flamon's group, they have that same 'black' wound on their tiny bodies. He slide evolves to Kumamon, then stretch his petite hands to examine the damage.

"Don't touch them!" Tinkermon's warning startles him. The Gomamons become covered in black and their eyes blood-shut. Kumamon looks at the others on the garden. They too... have turned to _Fallen_. He stares in shock, but snaps out of it when he feels a slight pain on his leg. Quickly looking down, he jolts as he finds a Gomamon had scratched him, then falls back realizing he is surrounded.

"Fairy Powder!" Gold dust falls off Tinkermon's wings, turning them to smaller digimons. "Now's a chance, shoot them!" she tells Kumamon.

 _"Eh?"_ Kumamon is stunned to move. Tinkermon swings her spear, popping the Fallen like water.

"W-wait! What are you doing?" Kumamon asks, horrified. "I can-" _  
_

"If you think you can purify them with that digivice of yours, you are mistaken," Tinkermon cuts him, her voice forceful and stern. " A fallen stays fallen. The only way to free them is to..." Tinkermon's voice faded to a murmur leaving Kumamon unsure of what she's said. But as he catches a glimpse of something sparkly fall off Tinkermon's eyes, he had suddenly understood what she had said, leaving only Petermon's words suddenly echoing in his head.

 _...can you eliminate them?_

 _How could this have happened when everything was just fine moments before?_ Sadness sinks in Kumamon's heart watching Tinkermon fight the once residents of Never-Ever Land. Somewhere, Petermon too must be... Noticing the _Fallen_ still approaches, with trembling hands, Kumamon places his canon on his shoulder and fires.

* * *

 **NEVER EVER LAND : Palace Wall Walk**

At the top of the Never-Ever Land's majestic castle, Petermon watches the ensuing battle below. He then glance around, over a destroyed haven.

"We've come for the crimson shard," speaks the fallen in front of him.

A gust of wind that smells of dust pass by Petermon as he sighs, "You've come at the wrong place. There's no such foul thing here."

"Shouldn't you be more cooperative?" With a wide grin, the fallen jumps at Petermon taking hold of his neck. "Since you'll be soon one of us!"

Petermon smirks, "I'd better be dead before becoming like you!" He swings his blade, making the fallen release him before his blade reach the fallen's dark arm. Petermon steps back clumsily, falling to his knees. He holds his stomach, feeling pain at the wound that has made him quite weak the past years.

"Look at you, what can you do? Hide in a hole like that Witch?" the fallen asks almost mocking. Petermon glares at him. "Your champions are long gone, and their great allies are scattered. If you hand over the shard to us, you will certainly have a place in Creepymon-sama's kingdom."

"Are you trying to be funny? I told you... I'm not interested," Petermon says with great defiance.

The fallen laughs, "Don't be rash now. It would be a waste to lose a digimon of your skill..."

The fallen goes on talking but his words doesn't reach Petermon, who's attention is suddenly grabbed by the illusion standing behind his enemy... a shadow of his past. His dark messy hair, tan skin, gentle smile - he looks exactly that way the last time he had seen him. And because he knows he isn't real, he smiled faintly back at the boy. Feeling rejuvenated, he pulls himself up, his cavalier hat falling off then mumbles cutting the fallen of his long speech, "...if there is really a shard here..."

The fallen continues on, "...if not for the holy powers of this place you would've already turned! Creepymon-sama would be very pleased,"

 _For how long are you gonna keep on calling humans here to rescue your world when it's in trouble?!_ Petermon recalls Kouichi yell at Ophanimon and Seraphimon. _It's your world! Put more effort into defending it yourselves_!

 _That day... I was quite surprised. You the level-headed and always calm one would lash out like that..._ Petermon bit his lip as he tightens his grip on his dagger. An image Anna and Mihn on that field of flowers and Kouichi staring with a determined eyes but tears streaming down his face, flash in his head like a flickering bulb. _We all knew it was harder for you. Mihn would've been safe in here... It was my fault to have let him leave_. _And so I've always wondered... if you'll find it in your heart to truly forgive me_.

 _Tinkermon... I'm sorry..._

 _Witchmon_... he remembered her pointy hat and her sarcastic yet genuine smile.

 _'You know you can't go on fighting like this' says Petermon clenching his fists. He watches Witchmon wrap an enchanted cloth on her entire arm over a wound that not so long ago, was merely a graze._

 _'I know," she says. 'But they are doing their best for a war that isn't theirs to fight. I think we should do the same.'_

 _Petermon doesn't say anything. He knows he can't change Witchmon's mind once she has decided. 'What will you do then?'_

 _Witchmon breathes sharply, 'Anna-sama said we should have some sort of a plan to preserve this world should they fail.'_

 _'And you have a plan?'_

 _'Yes.'_

 _'What?'_

 _She chuckles at him interrogating her, 'I suppose, I can make out some place where even the fallen cannot reach'_

 _He raises a brow, '...even at your state?'_

 _'It's exactly because I'm at this state that I'll be doing it,' she smiles, 'I've also made arrangements. I am not worried.' She conjures her broom out of thin air and prepares to flight._

 _Whatever those arrangements are, he no longer pried. 'At least tell me where you will go.'_

 _'Steel Town.' She sits on her broom and calmly fixes her hat, 'Please, don't say anything to Tinkermon. She'll surely be very distressed.' And before he can give his response she flew far and fast heading to her destination. Not long after that, rumors heard of a mysterious castle built in Steel Town that promises a good load of treasure, and its curse spread. And some time after, he and Anna infiltrated that Castle and she did for him what he couldn't do. He had watched her as Mastemon, vanquish a fallen Witchmon._

 _They weren't wrong... were they?_ he thinks _.  
_

Petermon looks up at the laughing fallen. "If it's here...then, I'll be sure you never find it!" he exclaims. "The one who wins this war is us!" he declares like a battle cry, stabbing himself in the chest. As he falls to the ground, the fallen notices a smirk cross his face. Then the ground shakes.

"What have you done?" the baffled fallen asks, getting no response. "Tch," Petermon hears the fallen's wings flap. He blinks, glancing upward to the boy who is now looking down right at him. He had never thought of himself to be sentimental, but somehow knowing _he'll_ be the last he sees feels liberating. His gaze doesn't leave _him_ while he hears the loud rain and the crumbling earth, until he slowly drifts to sleep.

* * *

The scene at the garden's isn't any better. The ground splits in two to which many fallen digimon's fall down that dark pit.

"What's happening?" Kumamon asks in panic barely avoiding the fissure, and struggling to keep his balance with each second that the ground shakes violently. The palace walls slowly collapse and the distant mountains crumble.

"No..." Tinkermon whispers, her voice shaking. She looks above the castle, seeing a fallen fly off. She quickly grabs Kumamon's paw and fly to the wall walk. She gently drops Kumamon as she rushes to Petermon's side.

She kneels then places Petermon's head to rest on her lap. She studies him, noticing no sign of life as well as the black stain on his shirt. She slowly pulls it up with shaky hands revealing half of his torso covered in black. Kumamon digivolves to being Tomoki and to him it appears as if Petermon's body had been burned... a physical characteristic similar to the Fallen ones he notes. Tinkermon's eyes glisten.

"I... didn't know anything..." she manage to whisper as tears stream down her face. " _She_ too... didn't say anything..."

"Tinkermon..."

"Why...?"

The stronger shaking of the ground and the ruining lands, makes Tomoki's heart beat as if he'd just competed a marathon. The once perfect and beautiful world he's seen when he first came is now on the brink of complete destruction. _No..._ he can only tell himself and fears what'll happen to them if they don't leave soon.

"Go and find Flamon. Tell him to lead you all to the underground tunnel," Tinkermon instructs him.

"Wh- what about you?" asks Tomoki.

Tinkermon slowly raise her tear drenched face at the fading world in front of her. " _We_ created this world together. This is our home..." she replies.

"Please come with me!" Tomoki pleads. "I'm sure Petermon would want you live."

Tinkermon smiles softly, "You're very kind. But this is it for us," she pauses turning her attention to that fading horizon. "Please go... leave us and return to your friends."

Tomoki wants to plead one more time but doesn't. He stands up and stays with Tinkermon for a brief moment as if waiting for her to change her mind. When he gets no response he hesitantly walks away from a distraught Tinkermon and her lifeless partner. When he reaches the entrance to the Palace, he hears Tinkermon call to him. And he stops.

"Tomoki! Be well..."

He looks over his shoulder, shuts his eyes in pain and runs to find Flamon and the others. He will survive, for the both of them. He rushes down the staircase, not even knowing where exactly to go. But he thinks he must go down until he spots Flamon standing on one of the doors of a long hallway. Flamon signals him to follow him and he does, entering a narrower hallway that leads to the a purple trainmon. The other young digimon's are already inside, and the moment they stepped in, the trainmon departs.

* * *

 **STEEL TOWN**

"Bokomon!" Kouji swings the door open. Inside a room in the second floor of the pub, he sees not only Bokomon and Neemon but also Takuya and Izumi, who lies down on the bed unconscious. Junpei runs to her bedside calling out her name.

"What happened?" Kouji asks.

Takuya stands up from his chair. "A lot. We were trapped in a Labyrinth for some time and Izumi lost consciousness," he started, and slowly fill in Kouji and Junpei about their experience in Witchmon's Palace. About the strange looking Digi eggs and Tsubomon who had showed them the way out.

"...so where is this Tsubomon?" asks Kouji glancing around noticing the youngest member of their group absent. "And Tomoki?"

At the mention of Tomoki's name, Junpei scans the room, "Did he go somewhere?"

"Well..." Takuya looks away frustratingly. "Petermon took him to Never-Ever land. I was about to chase after him when we got out but Bokomon and Neemon said there's noting to worry about,"

"Petermon may appear cold and rude, but Never-Ever Land is the safest place to be in the DigiWorld. He must have taken Tomoki there to keep him safe," Bokomon adds.

Takuya rolls an eye, "But he doesn't mind putting mine and Izumi's life in danger,"

"He isn't a bad guy," Neemon says in his usual flat tone.

Takuya sighs deciding to drop the subject. Bokomon and Neemon knew him longer than they and it shouldn't hurt to trust their opinion. "As for Tsubomon, strangely he couldn't get out of the Labyrinth. But Izumi and I promised to find a way to free them. And you? You seem to come running in urgency," he asks Kouji and cross his arms.

Kouji nods, and this time fills in Takuya and their digimon friends their experience in the Astral. The encounter with Cherubimon, the fighting and what a fallen may actually look like. The shard they'd found but was lost right after their awakening, he shared it with them, but leaving out details especially that of his brother's. Somehow, he thought it was not necessary to mention it and feels relief that Junpei had not added to his input.

"The shard you found disappeared too?" Takuya asks with eyes open wide.

"What do you mean 'too'?" Kouji asks.

"We- we had found a shard as well. But when we were out of the Labyrinth, when I checked on the shard, it slowly disappeared on my hand," Takuya explains. Kouji turns to Bokomon.

As if on que, he hung his head and says, "I'm sorry, I'm also not sure what happened. Even the shards with me have disappeared..."

"Could it be because we have recovered all the shards?" Neemon deduces.

Bokomon nods, "That's the only possibility I can think of,"

Kouji casts a skeptic look, but before he gets to express this in words, Takuya speaks.

"If that's the case," he pauses, "Where is Kouichi then?"

* * *

 **NEVER EVER LAND : Trainmon Passage**

Tomoki watches Never-Ever land slowly turn to golden dust. While he fixed on it, he hadn't noticed Flamon approach him.

"You shouldn't expose your wound like this..." says Flamon, kneeling down to wrap Tomoki's wound with a white cloth.

Tomoki looks down, feeling the coolness of the fabric, "What is it?"

"It's an enchanted tool one of our former allies created," Flamon replies. "It won't heal the wound but it should slow down the spreading..." he glanced up at Tomoki, noticing the despair in his eyes

 _An ally_? Tomoki can only wonder as he puts that out of his mind returning his gaze yet again to a vanished Never-Ever Land. There's nothing there to where it used to float, like a picture drawn with a pencil that's erased.

"It's not only Petermon-sama. Those _three_ have used this so to keep themselves at the front lines," Flamon adds, completing a knot then standing up. Tomoki thought about the Gomamon's that had become fallen, and Petermon who probably turned to one had he not...?

 _...is there no other way to reverse a fallen_? he recalls Gomamon and how'd he'd promised they'd play. Tinkermon's smile and Petermon's smirk. The other digimon's making flower tiara's but have become fallen in matter of seconds. He desperately needed an answer. "What happens to me?"

Flamon studies the human before giving his answer, "If you stay here longer, you will eventually turn. But if you return to your world you should be fine,"

"How?"

"When Kouichi-sama's fractal code got inflicted by the human code, he had this idea- to return to the human world," Flamon began. "He wanted to test if it could heal him and to see for himself if Creepymon's objective is really... possible."

The merging is Creepymon's goal.

"Kouichi-sama did return and he had been healed, thus proving Creepymon's goal. But to allow heartless Digimon's walk the human world, they didn't allow. And for us who don't have the human code will simply-"

"Disappear..." Tomoki finishes Flamon's line, to which Flamon lightly nods. "...When Kouichi-san returned to the human world, were Anna and Mihn with him?"

Flamon shook his head, and sadness reflects in his large green eyes. "Kouichi-sama tried that experiment after the divine digimon's couldn't fix _her_."

Tomoki didn't like the sound of that, understanding who the _her_ , Flamon refers to. He had wondered before why Kouichi didn't run to them for help, and now he figures at the deepest corners of his mind that something bad must've happened. He's told that Anna and Mihn have been sleeping in the Red Moon. And from his experience at Never-Ever Land, any wound inflicted by a fallen, even by collateral risks you of turning into one. The Gomamon's had transformed so fast, while Petermon had held on because of the same tool wrapped around his leg. There was no way to revert a fallen except to eliminate them. Yet, Petermon had done this to himself before he'd turn.

"Anna was... infected?"

"Yes," Flamon sits on the bench. "But she had hid it well. We didn't know. Nobody of us did. Until it was too late. We found her in Steel Town where she had gone to battle a Fallen, her fractal code almost completely eaten away."

Tomoki feels he's lost his strength. Somehow, he fears the ending of that story. Flamon glances at him every now and then, noticing his tensed reaction. He stops his story not wanting to cause the human and himself any further discomfort. And his silence is appreciated quietly by Tomoki. He couldn't wait to return to Steel Town, to find comfort from his friends. His return to the DigiWorld hasn't been long, but he had found it wearying than the last. Things turn to something unfortunate so quickly, and he had not expected his return would turn out to be this difficult.

"Hey, why did Petermon took me there?" he asks to change the subject.

"Though you may feel like a prisoner, Never-Ever Land has been a safe place after all, and Petermon-sama had intended to keep you there until the war is over," Flamon answers. Tomoki sits next to the Digimon. "He probably wished to..." Flamon smiles sadly. The human notices but waits for Flamon to talk again.

After a brief moment of silence, Flamon continues, "Mihn-sama was sent to Never-Ever Land by Kouichi-sama when he returned to your world. Mihn-sama was supposed to stay there and wait for his return. But when word of a growing number of fallen digimon's in the Dark Continent reaches him, Mihn-sama wanted them subdued. Petermon-sama was reluctant at first going against Kouichi-sama's wishes, but ended up going anyways with Mihn-sama and some of our allies. They'd returned having successfully subdued the fallen ranks but at the cost of them getting hurt."

Tomoki grits his teeth. Yet again, he didn't like the sound of that.

"Mihn-sama had told us not to breathe a word about it to Kouichi-sama as the battle reached it's peak. And when the war didn't end soon enough he..." Flamon swallows, unable to hold back his tears any longer. Tomoki puts a hand on his shoulder. "...he'd transformed so fast, and Kouichi-sama was suddenly put in a position to-"

"Flamon..." Tomoki cuts him and he tightens his hold on the digimon's shoulder. He shouldn't have asked and he felt bad for making Flamon remember such memories. His little effort to change the subject worked against him, "I'm sorry..."

Flamon wipes his eyes, more than willing to drop the subject, "Don't worry about it,"

Tomoki stands up and goes to the opposite window. _Mihn had become a fallen..._ Tomoki could hardly contain his shock, yet he finds himself still unable to understand Petermon's intention for taking him there. As the trainmon approaches that light at the end of the tunnel, and though he knows he'll be reunited with his friends once again, but the little excitement he's had a little earlier on has been dampened with a sadness that he knows will stay with him for a long time.

* * *

 **STEEL TOWN**

She had knew she fell unconscious as they near Witchmon's lair. But she felt as if she has been sleepwaking. Her body feels light and she strolls that passage leading to that empty square room. She thought it could be a classroom minus the tables and chairs, the windows and the board. And of course in the middle of that square room is the treasure they'd been looking for. She was sure her companion reached for it and put it in his pocket. She blinks, and a light from above shone down on them. She blinks again, and they were being lifted. She thought she heard him saying something to that fluffy digimon left below. A promise to return. She blinks yet again this time seeing a shadow approach the light.

 _Who is it?_ She wonders. The light strengthened spreading it's intensity and to that shadow's. She knew she was dreaming, because she couldn't have really seen that person there.

She opens her eyes, and found Junpei sleeping by her bedside. While Bokomon and Neemon beams at the sight of her awake.

"Izumi-han!" Bokomon's loud voice awake Junpei.

Junpei quickly brushes his eyes, "Izumi-chan!" He goes on to hug her, quickly backing away noting the girl's discomfort. She smiles at them, as she quickly notices the absence of the three.

"Tomoki!" her eyes widen, as she pulls herself up from the bed.

"Take it easy now," Junpei advised. "Kouji and Takuya went looking for him since a little while ago,"

"They did?"

Junpei nods. "When they return we'll be headed back to the Moonbase,"

"Why?" Izumi asks clearly confused.

"We may have accomplished our mission," he replies. "We may finally see Kouichi."

"R-really?"

Junpei nods with a wide smile on his face. Izumi's eyes tear up. The last time she'd seen him, they sat over for coffee and somehow, knowing that they'd all be reunited once again brings smile to her face. At that moment she feels a rush of strength flow through her, and that somehow, they can overcome any obstacle like they did before.

* * *

 **Okay, that's it for this chapter. It took a long time, but I intend to finish this. Thanks for the reviews of this story. Until next chapter!**


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